Silver and Gold
by HovaStrider
Summary: Two islands, Two new dragons, a big secret and a werewolf?- hiccup treats a silver dragon that seems to be wary of humans, Alvin finds a stranger who might have the answer for controlling what may be the most powerful dragon the outcasts have ever seen, and a stranger who wont rest until she has both dragons taken home with her. don't own HTTYD/ OC dragons OC werewolf.
1. Chapter 1- Arival

Ch1

Mildew frowned at the sight of the creature, a huge slender dragon with feather wings and golden scales, it lay in its cage completely bound tight. Bright blue eyes staring at him with disgust, it unsheathed its claws from its catlike paws and bared its teeth.

Alvin the torturous smiled, "He's a beauty he is, took nearly the whole island to bring him in, shame about the other one though."

"Other one? You mean there was another one flying around?" Mildew shivered as he remembered the aftermath of the golden creature's capture; several men inured, shields and armor completely useless against claw and fang, whole trees ripped up and burning. Mildew had arrived in time to see its fire, pure and concentrated white heat that tore a smoldering hole in the ground. He shivered, luckily no one had been it by that.

Alvin smiled, "There were two of these feather wings, the other was a smaller white one. His mate I'd wager, had something on its back as it flew off into that storm. No way any dragon could survive a spray like that, unless they're a Scauldron of course."

Mildew huffed, "Well, if it does survive it'll probably never come back. Too much trouble here for it to deal with."

Alvin smiled all the bigger, "That's why we're gonna train this Day Fury, have him take us back to his nest. Wont that be a happy reunion?"

Mildew raised his grizzled white eyebrows, "Day Fury, why not call it a Feather Wing or something more suitable?"

Alvin growled, "His mate flew off as fast as that boy does on his night Fury, train this dragon and we'll have a dragon that's even faster."

The gold dragon pricked up his horse like ears at the sound of this, Alvin started laughing, "and since we're deciding names, what do you think we should call him, old man?"

Mildew shrugged, "Makes no difference to me, a dragon is a dragon and that's all I need to know."

The old man's sheep gave a bored cry stepping closer to the cage; the Day fury snorted wriggling in its bonds. Mildew thought a moment and turned away, his sheep not far behind, "but if you really want a name for him, how about 'Fang the day Fury', then he'll be the exact opposite of that boy's precious dragon, Toothless the night fury."

Alvin considered this, his face giving way to a dark sneer, "Fang, simple but frightening, I like it. We can start with him in the morning."

****8****

On the island of Berk, hiccup was out flying on his black dragon Toothless. Their favorite part of this route was racing through the maze of rocks overhanging the coastline, or coming up with new tricks. Hiccup was excited to try a move he'd been working on for weeks, it was something he'd come up with in case he ever had to doge arrows or a bola again. Like the last few times he had found himself on Outcast Island and got himself and Toothless tangled with a bola while dodging arrows.

Fly past, spin from arrows, flap up so they think you're going up, and drop fast, after that a quick swerve and a Plasma blast in the direction of the target so they can't reload in time.

Hiccup went through the paces, imagining every arrow and the three roped trap over and over. Toothless straightened out going for a landing. Hiccup adjusted the pedals on his saddle automatically, landing gracefully as only a dragon can. He shook his head, "Not ready yet, to many variables. We can't test it in controlled conditions until we figure out how we want to move."

Toothless purred, looking back at his rider, Hiccup could easily imagine him saying everything was fine. He smiled and scratched the dark scaled ears, "Yeah your right, we'll get it someday, then Alvin will never catch us like last time, not ever."

Toothless opened his wings waiting, Hiccup adjusted the pedals again, "Lets head back, I could use a break. And I bet you're getting hungry."

They took off, the wind picking up behind them. Farther back along the horizon, storm clouds were brewing, getting larger.

****8****

In the village everyone was boarding up their homes and getting their stocks built up for the coming storm.

Bucket a tall Viking with his namesake on his head was sitting moaning and holding his head. His friend Mulch, a stout little man who smelled like his namesake tried to comfort him, "Is that bucket getting very tight on you?"

Bucket moaned, "No, but it's still bad. Oh and long too. OW!"

Mulch patted his friend's back, Stoick the vast, chief of the island came up from behind, "I still find it strange that we're trusting a bucket for the weather. How long until it gets here?"

Mulch took a look at the bucket, having had more experience with the strange way of foretelling storms, "I'd say a matter of minutes, and it looks like this one will be a mild one compared to what we saw last winter."

Stoick was relieved to hear that, he didn't want to think what would happen if a hurricane hit the island. He glanced out to sea, the clouds were already in sight and getting closer. He could even see his son flying in on his Night Fury, "Right, see if you can help get some of the houses boarded up and get inside. I'm going to check on our food supply."

The chief left, mounting up on his Thundrum, Thornado, they flew up to meet Toothless and Hiccup.

"Dad that storm is coming up fast." Hiccup called worried.

"I know son, I need you to get the others to help, anyone still caught outside take them to the great hall."

Hiccup nodded just as a scream echoed through the air, Toothless and Thornado looking for the source, so franticly that both riders were forced to land.

"What in Thor's name was that?" Stoick yelled, struggling to get his dragon under control, "Easy boy, just a bit of noise."

Something flashed by falling fast in a flash of white, "Dad look!"

A large white beast spiraled out of the sky headed for the woods. Its mouth opened to scream the same sound as before. Their dragons both became upset, Toothless tried to take off, Thornado struggling to do the same.

"It landed just past the ridge; I'm going to check it out." Hiccup and Toothless were about to get up, Stoick's call stopped them.

"No, the village comes first, once everyone is safe then we can fly low over the forest and see what  
that was."

Hiccup looked between the forest and his father. His curiosity nagged at the back of his mind, but he knew his father was right, "Alright, I'll round up the others."

It didn't take long to make sure everyone was safe inside, by then the storm's first drops of rain were pouring out of the sky. Hiccup dropped by his house to grab a few things before heading out over the forest. He noticed that his dad and Astrid were already on a head start, flying low to the tree line. He didn't bother to stop them; more eyes find that thing the better.

The wind made it hard to fly right, possibly why he didn't see the others out here, Snotlout wasn't dumb enough to fly out here without a reason, and Fishlegs was just too cautious (cough: scared) to anything of the sort.

They flew over a spot where the ground was furrowed; several trees were broken or knocked over in the same direction. Astrid spotted it first.

"Over here." she flew ahead, landing her blue and yellow Nadder next to a large limp form of something white and covered in mud and dust.

They all gasped as they took a closer look, slender body with catlike paws curled beneath it, a hornless horse like head lay with eyes closed, a stripe of blood coming from its nose, and on its back was the most amazing pair of wings they had ever seen.

"Its…not like any dragon I've ever seen before." Hiccup moved towards its head slowly, the scaly horse like ears twitched and it moaned. "Does anyone know of a dragon with Feathers on its wings?"

Astrid and Stoick shook their heads, Stoick noticed a large wound on the silver's shoulder, "Looks like it's been hit by something."

"Lightning maybe?" Astrid suggested.

Stoick shook his head, "No, this looks like something a bit more solid, like someone was trying to shoot him down. He needs help."

Hiccup reached slowly and touched the dragon's nose, the silver creature twitched opening its eyes a bit, "Hey there, its ok were here to help."

The dragon sighed falling back to sleep, the rain was really coming down. If they didn't fly back now they'd be stuck here until the storm passed. Stoick was already getting some rope tied together, "Let's get a harness made up for him. He won't last long out here."

"I brought some blankets we can use," Hiccup went to get them from Toothless's saddle bag; the black dragon purred nudging the silver dragon's hide.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch2

In the great hall several villagers who couldn't beat the storm for their own homes sat waiting for it to pass, Viking and dragon alike were interested in the newcomer the chief and his son had brought in. they gathered around trying to get a better look dispite their being told to keep their distance.

Gobber the belcher, a one handed man who worked as a blacksmith, dragon dentist, vet, basically the island's own jack of all trades. Right now he was looking over the dragon's injured wing and shoulder, "Looks like burn marks, and not just any, see here, she's been scratched up by something on fire. And over here it looks like there's an spearhead in her left wing, that'll have to come out."

Hiccup sat by the silver's head, the poor thing hadn't woken up but it was moaning and twitching like a child having a bad dream. He stroked her nose whispering softly, hoping she could hear him, "You're gonna be fine, Gobber will fix you right up."

The dragoness just moaned shivering. Astrid sat next to him, "Where do you think it came from? Those injures I mean."

Hiccup kept his eyes on the dragon, "Doesn't matter, the sooner she's on her feet the better."

Gobber changed his hook hand for a pair of tongs, all heated up, "Right let's get started, get out that spear first. Better get someone to hold her down, this could get ugly."

There was no shortage of volunteers to help. Gobber picked out seven strong Vikings to hold the silver down. They placed their hands on her wings, legs, tail and neck, while Gobber got ready, "Alright, on the count of three, keep her steady, here we go…one …two…"

As Gobber worked the dragon hissed out, crying and struggling from the pain, Hiccup saw a tear form in her eye as he backed off. He couldn't hold a dragon down when in that kind of pain even if he wanted to. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Gobber held up a piece of a spear shaft and let it drop, he then pulled a hot knife out of the torches, "Right, now the hard part, Hiccup see if you can't calm her down, the rest of you keep her still."

Hiccup gulped, Gobber was going to seer the wound closed. Dragon's may have somewhat fire proof skin but that didn't mean it couldn't hurt them. The silver's eyes snapped open as the smell of burned flesh rose from her back, she struggled even more, screaming like a wild deer. A few of the dragons in the great hall grunted and shifted uneasily, as if concerned for the new dragon. Toothless jumped over, adding his own weight to the problem and holding her more still, careful not to disturb Gobber as he tended the wound.

Hiccup stepped forward to touch her head and spoke as comfortingly as he could, "Its ok, you'll be alright soon, j-just a little longer."

The dragon cried out, a stunning pair of sapphire blue eyes stared at him a moment. He stroked her nose, "Its ok…"

The dragoness whipped her head around, teeth latching onto a nearby table and biting down hard, Hiccup continued to stroke her, Astrid stepping in to help, telling the silver it was going to be alright. Gobber stepped back saying he was done, the dragon still whined in pain, but became much calmer now, Hiccup and Astrid kept talking to her as she closed her eyes.

"You're going to be ok now Feather-storm." Astrid said slowly. Hiccup pricked his ears, looking at him.

"Feather-storm? You named her already?"

Astrid shrugged, "Well…it kinda just of came up, she came with the storm and she has feathers on her wings so…Feather-Storm."

The dragon released its grip on the table, going limp as something dropped from her mouth. The table where she bit soon fell off leaving a perfect imprint of her teeth where a corner used to be.

****8****

The storm ragged for hours, soon proving to be too much for anyone to go outside. The silver was moved against the far wall near one of the fires, she was sleeping peacefully, no longer shivering or moaning, just soft breathing and purring like a kitten. Toothless watching her closely, making sure the kids all stayed a good distance when they played too close. Hiccup sat at the table nearest them with Astrid and Fishlegs, they were all eating a small meal of fish stew for dinner.

Fishlegs was talking about all the reasons a dragon would have feather wings, "it's possible that she can't breathe fire just like the Thundrum, so the wings could be used to help keep them warm when it gets cold at night. You know like how birds line their nests, and they could also use them to keep the hatchlings warm like a blanket.

"Or maybe they could use them to confuse other dragons when their hatchlings when they fly high enough those wings could be used to mistake it for a bird."

Astrid nodded, "Ok that make sense I guess, hide from big ones while their still little ones, but what about the fact it doesn't have any horns, spikes or claws, how would a dragon like that defend itself?"

Fishlegs thought a moment, "W-ell…she has some pretty strong jaws, her teeth must be harder than a Whispering Death's, so if a dragon attacked it, Feather-storm could easily make a nasty mark on her attackers, or worse."

"True, but it's her only defense, she's helpless otherwise." Astrid stated, "I mean Toothless has no spikes or horns but he still has claws and fire to defend himself."

Fishlegs smiled, "Exactly, we know Night Furies have retractable teeth, what if Feather-storm has retractable claws or hidden spines on her body somewhere."

Astrid thought this over, "Well I did see scratch marks in the floor when we moved her, maybe those cat shaped paws have cat claws too. But I think if she had hidden spikes we would've seen them when Gobber put the hot metal to her."

Hiccup turned to the others, "Do you think it's possible Feather-storm might know where to find night furies?"

The question threw them off, they stared at him curious. Hiccup explained, "Look at Toothless, he hasn't left her side since we found her. He's acting kind of like a guard or a mother hen around her."

Fishlegs shrugged, "maybe he likes her, you know, 'like likes' her."

Astrid shook her head, "I don't think it's that, Toothless seems a little more…like how you treat Meatlug sometimes."

Toothless nudged Feather-storm's wing, moving it so it covered more of her body. The silver sighed, still asleep. The night fury then hobbled off, sniffing around empty plates and tables for some food, always glancing back to the female dragon.

Fishlegs looked thoughtful, "Hmm, When Feather-storm wakes up we need to keep a close watch on how Toothless acts around her. I still think he might like-like her."

Hiccup and Astrid rolled their eyes. Just then there was a loud terrified shriek through the great hall, all eyes turned to the silver, awake and pushing herself back as far as possible against the wall, a little girl stood right in front of her hugging a stuffed toy lamb. Toothless bounded over gently pushing the girl away, hiccup bounced over as quickly as he could, holding his hands up to the dragon.

"Whoa, now hey, its ok."

The dragon screamed again, cat like paws scratching against the stone walls, a set of gleaming curved claws jutting out leaving deep marks wherever she scratched. The silver was terrified, eyes wide and searching for a way out. Hiccup kept trying, but the dragon was completely freaked out.

"Everyone get back, she's scared." Hiccup called to the massing humans. They obeyed without question, even his own father the chief. If anybody knew anything about scared dragons it was Hiccup. Of course Hiccup was the one hoping he could do this, he'd never even heard of a dragon that was so obviously terrified of humans.

The silver stared at the retreating humans, sapphire eyes now staring at the human holding his hands up to her. Hiccup turned his head down still holding his hand up. The silver halted, seeming to calm down, still backed up against the wall. She snorted, baring her teeth. Hiccup chanced a glance at her, seeing this the silver hissed. Toothless gave a loud whine as he stepped between Hiccup and Feather-storm. The silver took a step forward and hissed suddenly angry.

"Toothless what are you…?" Hiccup never finished as the dragon gave a low growl, turning back to the silver dragoness with a lowered head.

The two dragons exchanged looks, one whining the other growling.

Stoick leaned over to Gobber, "Any idea what's going on?"

Gobber scratched his head, "Well if I had to guess, it looks like feather-storm is scolding Toothless."

That's exactly the way it seemed, the night fury kept giving small roars and gesturing to the humans in the hall. Other dragons would purr in turn, but the silver's eyes never left the black dragon before her. Hiccup took a step forward watching the silver closely, neither dragon seemed to notice him there.

Toothless turned and showed the silver his tail, leaning into Hiccup. The boy smiled as his dragon nudged him affectionately. The silver watched them, still growling. Hiccup scratched Toothless on the ears.

"See? Everything is ok." He turned to the silver taking a few steps towards her, everyone held their breath as the silver backed up, Toothless just purred, motioning his head towards Hiccup. The silver lowered its slender neck so her eyes met the boy's, still backing away from him.

Hiccup held his hand out again, the silver watched him, whimpering as the hand stopped just before it touched her. She sniffed, shivering, teeth bared but making no sound. Toothless purred, the dragoness closed its eyes and thrust her head forward, so quickly she nearly knocked him over. Hiccup grasped her nose as the wind was knocked out of him, he could feel her shivering under his hands.

He smiled speaking softly and began stroking her scales, "That's it, everything's ok, you were just scared weren't you Feather-storm? You'll be ok now."

The silver slowly opened her eyes, she was still scared, her scaly ears once plastered to her head were now drooped, a fresh set of tears were trickling down her face. Feather-storm shivered all over whimpering. Toothless hobbled over licking her face and purring.

Stoick carefully stepped over, the silver eyed him, but nothing else, "So, hiccup, where are we keeping this one?"

Feather-storm saw him coming and pulled back with a scream, she huddled against the wall and curled up. Folding her wings around her so she looked like a mass of feathers, shivering. Hiccup frowned, "This is going to take a bit of work."

Toothless sat down at Feather-storm's side, purring as he tried to put a wing over her. Not too easy with a dragon that almost as big as a Monstrous Nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3- Differences

Ch3

It was late evening when Alvin came to see the gold dragon, still chained in its place, outside its cage were several shivering outcast soldiers . for once not shivering because of their leader being present. One of which was Alvin's second in command, Savage, eh too was shivering like a leaf.

"What happened here? you all look like Frija herself was here to say hello."

Savage turned to his leader shivering, "We tried again to get someone to bond with it, even with the muscle on him it killed three men, it was like fighting a monster."

Alvin raised an eyebrow, he'd never seen this kind of fear with anyone unless he was the cause. Just how powerful could this dragon be without use of its fire or shield snapping jaws?

"Where's Mildew?" Alvin looked around a bit, "I don't see him anywhere did the dragon kill him too?"

Savage shook his head, "He wasn't here when we let the Day Fury out of its pen. Said he had something he wanted to look into."

Alvin frowned, "More important than training our little friend here? what could possibly be more worthy of that old coots mind? Where is he?"

Savage shivered, Alvin's voice was getting a murderous tone, "Said he wanted to try something with the Scauldron sir."

Alvin glanced at the gold dragon inside, "How many times has it been out?"

"Sir?"

Alvin raised his voice, "The Day Fury, how many times have we tried getting him to bond with us?"

Savage thought a bit, "Three times in the past few days sir."

"Well then, if he's not like other dragons, then let's take a new approach." Alvin smiled wickedly, "Cut back its food rations to half, every time it doesn't bond with us cut them some more. For now leave it on the chains."

Savage nodded as Alvin left, "Yes sir."

He glanced at the great golden dragon in the cage, it had tears dripping down its face, it groaned as it looked at him, Savage could almost hear it asking to have his freedom. He shook his head and shoved the thought aside, he had more important things to worry about.

The gold dragon watched as the outcasts left, he stopped struggling against the uncomfortable restraints and settled with a shuddering sigh. The dragons who could see him from their own cages looked on at him with concern in their faces.

The gold paid no attention.

****8****

The next morning on Berk, Feather-storm was huddled in the back of the great hall slurping up the fish brought to her by Hiccup and Gobber. They had tried most of the night to move her elsewhere, but the silver had flat refused to move no matter what they tried. Even with Toothless's gentle urgings she didn't so much as budge.

So now when several Vikings came in to eat breakfast, Feather-storm just looked at them warily from her place doing her best to ignore them. The children who tried offering her some of their own food were the only ones she dare not take her eyes off of. She twitched every time they got too close, growling.

Gobber had been very blunt about getting them to keep back, "Now go on you lot, she's scared of you, and a scared dragon is one you don't want to be around."

"But hiccup's here and he can tame any dragon." One girl protested.

Gobber patted her head, "That's true, but it also takes time. And trust, so until Hiccup says it's ok for you to get closer; try not to alright? We don't need an accident happening."

The silver turned to glance at the scrawny boy tending her bandaging. He looked up at her with a smile, she snorted and turned away. Hiccup gave a small laugh, "You'll change your mind, I know that much."

Feather-storm closed her eyes, ignoring him. The boy didn't mind, she was letting him treat her wounds and that was a good start at least. Toothless looked on from his spot near her, he hadn't left her side this whole time.

Gobber came to inspect the boy's work, "A little tighter right there, don't want that brace to slip."

He gave the dragon's wing a brush, "No flying for you a while. Not until this wing heals up, you're lucky Thor didn't strike you in that mass last night."

Feather-storm snorted again, curling up as if she wanted to sleep. Hiccup gave the splint a small tug to make sure it was tied tight. Feather storm gave a grunt of pain; she turned sharply to glare at the boy.

Hiccup threw up his hands, "Sorry, won't happen again."

Her eyes softened a little, a confused sort of look crossed her face. She seemed to be trying to figure something out about this boy in front of her. Hiccup remembered back when Toothless had given him a similar stare, the dragon was curious to why a Viking would reach out to a dragon at all. Maybe this new dragon was wondering the same thing; as far as he knew Berk was one of the few places where humans and dragons got along. Feather-storm could be from a place that was just like Berk just two years ago, Dragons fighting humans nearly every day.

Feather-storm soon turned to Gobber who was touching her feathers again, she moved her wings away from him with a low hum.

Gobber gave a smile, "It still baffles me how a dragon can have wings like that. They feel a bit like soft scales or hardened feathers."

Hiccup's ears pricked at the mention of this, "Now that you mention it, maybe those feathers are actually a differently shaped scale. Wonder if they use them for anything other than flying."

"Well we'll soon find out," Gobber turned to leave, "The longer she stays the more we can learn about her. And in time who knows, maybe she'll find a rider for herself."

Feather-storm heard the children whispering to each other about this. Apparently they had overheard. She snorted at this and began heading for the huge doors of the great hall, her catlike paws barely making a sound on the stone floor as she walked calmly out onto the stair. She blinked in the brightness and stared out on a village full of Vikings and dragons living side by side. She blinked several times, glancing from one dragon to another in utter astonishment. Her mouth opened several times as if trying to say something.

"Wanting to go for a walk Feather-Storm?"

She looked down to see the small human hiccup staring up at her. Obviously he had followed her out, and was now smiling as brightly as before. she wondered how in the world she hadn't heard his prosthetic left leg tapping the stone as he walked right up to her.

He gestured to the open air before them and took a few steps, "Come on, I'll show you around if you want. Maybe we can find someplace more comfortable for you to sleep tonight. Should be nice now that its stopped raining."

He gestured for her to follow; Toothless bounding next to her and doing the same with a flick of his tail, she hesitated, glancing back at the group of kids inside and the dragons outside.

666

Mulch smiled as he watched young hiccup lead the silver dragon around his pastures. Among the herds the silver seemed much calmer then when they had been walking around the village, perhaps a wild dragon through and through. Mulch flinched as the dragon sniffed at the yak he was milking.

The yak gave a long snort shaking her horns at the large silver creature. Feather-storm simply purred in a musical way and bent to inspect the bucket at mulch's feet.

The old Viking farmer frowned and waved his good hand at her, "Here now none of that is yours missy. If you're hungry you can get some fish later."

Feather-storm jolted away from the hand, eyeing the other one which was nothing more than a small hook. The yak shied in reaction to her, relaxing at a touch from Mulch. Hiccup did the same for the dragoness cooing to her, "Hey its ok. We can get you something to eat if you want."

Feather-storm shook her head vigorously and began inching her nose for the bucket again, Mulch waved her off again, "Now go on, like I said this isn't yours."

Feather-storm licked her lips before turning to lay in a patch of white flowers. Her tongue flicking in and out as though her throat was dry.

Mulch shook his head, "Never thought dragons liked milk before. 'fraid I can't spare any, what with the recent storms scaring the heard, we've had to be more careful about our supplies."

"You think we'll have a food shortage?" Hiccup asked, both of them didn't notice Feather-storm's ears pricked at this.

Mulch shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. Some of the hens have stopped laying after all the storms started up. The yaks and sheep are still giving milk no problem, so I don't think we have anything to worry about just yet. But your father and I have decided to build up the stores, just in case."

Hiccup nodded, the idea of a food shortage at this time of year wasn't going to sit well with anyone. He glanced up at the skies, still grey from the last downpour, the very air smelled like rain about to fall. He turned to notice Feather-storm tying to flap her wings, faltering as one of them was strapped firmly to her side. She growled in frustration, going so far as to chew at the thick leather straps, straining her long neck to get at the ones holding it firmly in place.

Toothless attempted to stop her only to get a snap of her fangs near his nose. A that the little black dragon shot a blast of blur fire in annoyance. Feather-storm halted, eyeing him with obvious anger. The night fury matched her gaze.

Mulch stood up sounding worried, he'd seen what happens when two dragons have a bout, "Hiccup stop them, the last thing we need here is a fight between dragons."

Hiccup needed no second bidding, he rushed over to stand between the two. Feather-storm regarded him with a simple stare as he told the night fury to back off and stepped closer to her. She barely moved as he went up to her strapped wing, giving it an experimental tug.

"maybe it's a little too tight," he fiddled with the straps a bit, readjusting it so it sat more comfortably at her side. Feather-storm moved it experimentally, snorting as if upset.

"I know you want it off, but until your shoulder heals it stays." he reached up and stroked her slender neck gently. She shivered from him slightly, glancing at the brace again. Hiccup shook his head, "Unless you want to risk never flying again you need to leave it alone."

Feather-storm's eyes widened at the idea. She glanced back to Toothless a moment. He just nodded and walked off. The silver dragoness gave a small whine, ears drooping in defeat. She silently followed Toothless away, a somewhat confused hiccup tagging behind.

"What I wouldn't give to know what they were saying." he muttered.

_777_

Over the next few days Alvin decided over and over again to get Fang to listened to him, and over and over again dispite offerings of food to the now starving dragon, and slow non-threatening gestures, the golden dragon would still lash out and claw anyone who dared get near him. Several times this resulted in the dragon's attempting escape, that lead to trying to train in in the underground where it was dark. Soldiers would walk away from the sessions with limps and bruises, even Mildew had to stay on his toes around the beast, escaping a with a few scratches.

Fang was constantly muzzled for limited fire power and no jaw use other than the food he managed to snap up, his paws were wrapped so those cat-like claws couldn't be used. But even with his wings and tail free, Fang proved to be more than a match for the stupid outcast Vikings of Alvin's squads.

The bulky leader growled angrily, the attempts at dragon training were getting better lately, but with this one nothing seemed to be working, the velvet glove did nothing, the iron fist just made it more difficult. Ironically that just made him more determined to get the gold to obey him. He was just as confidant as before that anyone who could ride this dragon could be the most powerful person in the skies or on the seas. At the moment he stared at the creature in its temporary state of slumber, he knew that once Fang woke up he would try to attack anything that came to close to it.

"Look at you." he said quietly, his eyes passing over the scars Fang had received, some of them were from his men tying the beast down, others were from the use of snares and weapons every time the gold had managed to escape his cage. Alvin shook his head, "Most dragons we have would be dead if they kept this up, but you…you're a fighter. You're a survivor, you may look pretty but you're as hard as iron and brutal as the best of us. We can see eye to eye and you still won't accept a rider. What is it going to take?"

Fang's eye opened he stared at the burly bearded man standing past the bars, the once bright blue eyes now hardened and angry. He let out a low growl, baring his fangs as best how could with the muzzle holding his snout shut.

Alvin smiled, "Maybe just a little more encouragement. Wonder if this would've been easier if we had that friend of yours."

The gold's mouth curled in an obvious grin, he strained against his chains. Alvin put that to mind, and left, an idea forming in his head, one he just might be able to pull off.

"Might not be _completely_ impossible to find." He muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I finaly got the next chapter. And I took the opportunity to do something a little different with the way Feather-storm's been acting. enjoy. (Feather-storm and the girl are my OCs)**

CH 4

Trader Johan looked out into the horizon, adjusting the rudder.

"We'll be there in another day miss, don't you fret." He said to a figure in a black cloak.

A young girl who looked to be around 15 turned to him with a spark of humor in her voice, "you sure you want to go this way? I hear there's Vikings out here."

Johan laughed, "some of my best customers, especially on our next stop. The island of Berk there's a cleaver boy living there you may want to meet. He's the one who made that rigging for me."

The girl nodded, "Must've been quite a trade for something that good."

The salty trader wiped some sea spray off of his face as he checked the helm keeping it in place, "He's an odd Viking that one, small, scrawny, weak, but very smart and good with his hands, kind hearted, you'd like him."

The girl smiled cheekily wrapping her grey green cloak around her more closely, "Trying your hand at matchmaking are you?"

Johan scratched his beard, smiling, "Never know, I might be good at it."

The girl hopped up on the railings, fearlessly balancing on its length as the boat rocked up and down, her tie on sandals forgotten on the deck alongside a grey knapsack. Johan watched her in amazement as she ran along the thin edge between water and deck, climbing the riggings like a squirrel and standing with her face to the wind on top the sail. She did that once every day since they started traveling together nearly two weeks ago. He asked her why she did that once, but all she would say was, "I'm flying, why not?"

He had decided to take her to Berk first, not wanting to think about what the Outcasts would do if he went on his normal route. A customer was a customer, but even he didn't like hanging around that gods forsaken island long. Not when his stays on the other islands were so much more pleasant, especially after the dragon wars had ended.

Besides, she never told him how far she had wanted to travel, and he was sure that someone on Berk could help her explore the islands faster than he could. He may have a reliable trading ship full of exotic delights and oddities, but the Vikings of Berk had dragons to ride from island to island as well as their ships.

He was just musing over what her first reaction would be towards a dragon, a Zippleback maybe, when the girl dropped off the rigging, landing with odd subtlety on the deck, "Ship off the port bow, headed our way. Do you know it?"

The salty trader pulled out a spyglass up to his eye, looking in the direction she had indicated he recognized the unmistakable miss meshed grey sail and spikey iron studded prow of a wolf ship, the sail bearing its owners crest caused his face to turn several shades paler.

"It's one of Alvin's' ships, the Outcasts." His voice shivered a little as he said it.

A familiar scratch of metal reached his ears, the girl had drawn the thin sword on her back.

"Here now, that toothpick of yours won't do much good against and Outcast's battle-axe." The trader motioned behind a stack of crates urgently, "Hide here, I can talk to them easily. But if they see you they might see you as foreign merchandise."

The girl's gaze darkened at the mention of such a thing, she glanced between the outcast ship and the trader as if weighing her options. Already they could see stout men in heavy metal and dragon bone armor waving. The girl sheathed her sword going for an oddly colored cloak in her pack, with a swift motion she threw it over her shoulders and slid below deck. Johan made sure she was out of sight before greeting the outcast ship heartily.

"Well now if it isn't Alvin's crew." He called putting on his best smile, "come to meet me have you?"

The captain of the wolf ship ordered the sail set to half mast, slowing the ship down a bit as they became parallel to the traders ship, "Ahoy trader Johan, you're a bit early this year, where have you been this time?"

"Oh dear friend the people I've seen the places I've visited, the things I've traded, it would take days to tell you everything. Perhaps I can tell you as we head for Alvin's port?"

He hadn't really meant this, besides he wasn't sure the long wolf ship was even intending to escort anyone anywhere.

The captain called back, "We're on a mission at the moment. Alvin's orders, afraid that means we won't be there for your visit to Outcast isle this time."

Johan feigned disappointment, "Just as well I suppose, I have several islands to visit before I reach yours. Who knows, you might come back in time to get the best for last."

At this the crew became visibly excited, and relived. Apparently they had been thinking that they would miss the trader's visit to their island altogether. One of them shouted over near laughing, "save me a peek at your best metal, been needing a new edge for me sea axe."

Before Johan could answer a figure slid in beside him, placing hands on the railing. Inwardly he cursed, the girl was back on deck, her colorful dress from before replaced by dark green shirt and brown pants, her arms wrapped in straps of leather, her chest covered with a vest of the same, her face was smeared with dirt and hidden in a cowl of a nearly black cloak, if Johan hadn't been standing so close to her he would've sworn she was a young bowman.

She called over in a deeper toned accent, sealing the illusion at a distance, "Ahoy there sailors, might I ask where it is your heading?"

The captain's brows shot up, immediately distrusting of the stranger, "Who are you to ask?"

The girl raised her hands in an innocent gesture, "I meant no offense to such brave Vikings as yourselves. I was just wondering if you might be headed for my homelands, afraid the pickings out there aren't what they used to be. Taking from dragons is an easier task."

At the word 'dragons', ears seemed to prick. Their faces became instantly impressed, wrestling with dragons was one thing they knew, and if this young man could sneak past dragons and still have all his scrawny limbs intact, the he must be more than meets the eye.

"We're out searching for one now, a great white one with wings like a gull." The captain called, "You haven't seen any out this way have you?"

Johan shook his head, the stranger did the same calling, "If it's a dragon your after you'll be searching for a few winters, even the slowest dragons can fly farther in a day than a ship's sail."

"This one will be injured; Alvin thinks it went down in a storm somewhere, unable to fly."

The salty trader noticed the girl's fists turning white as she gripped the railing more tightly, her voice however sounded unconcerned, "Then you might not find her at all, injured or not."

The captain laughed aloud, followed by his crew, "If we don't find that dragon this way, then one of Alvin's other ships will, he's got us scouring the ocean for any trace of that beast. Shouldn't be long before we find something."

"a dead dragon is of no use to anyone."

The captain smiled, "Alvin just wants it brought back to Outcast island, eh didn't say anything about it being alive or not. If you do see it be careful, it's as dangerous as a hurricane and powerful as Odin."

The girl held her hand up in a gentle wave, "I'll keep that in mind. Fair weather to ya."

"Fair weather and good sailing," the captain answered as the ships soon became farther away. The order was heard to return to full sail and she ship soon picked up speed in the cross winds. Johan let a sigh of relief escape his lips.

"What were you thinking? I know my way around men like them, you should've let me do all the talking…" he trailed off when he saw the look in the girl's eyes, dark angry and fearful as an animal in a corner.

She turned to the man, all her humor from the past few days gone, "If a storm is occurring on outcast island headed out, which way is the best to sail?"

"Er, I don't think anybody would be that crazy to try."

"And if they were?"

Johan thought a moment, "Storms often head through here going south or east ward, so maybe northwest."

"Are there any islands northwest of the Outcasts?"

"Just three, ones not much more than a large sandbar, the other is wild dragon territory. Berk is the best to go to."

"Take me to the dragon one first."

Johan was at a loss for words, the girl began wiping her face off with the corner of her cloak, "Take me as close to the island as you can then let me use the small boat from there."

"DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID!?" the trader yelled more at his own confusion then at her, "That's _Wild. __Dragon._ _T__**erritory.**_ If you go there then you'll be asking for trouble."

The girl ignored him, setting to the task of inventorying her knapsack's content, "I'm asking you to go as close as you dare, then give me the life boat and terminate our contract."

She handed him a small blade as long as her forearm covered swirls of gold and silver on its hilt, a crest of feathers set just inside the pommel and again in the fine dark leather scabbard. Johan took it gently as if it were made of glass, inspecting its fine materials and craftsmanship.

"You can take this in payment." She said flatly, "now can you get me there or not?"

Johan gulped, "It'll be a full day to get there on full sail, provided the wind stays in our favor."

The girl set to repacking her things, "Good."

888&888

Feather-storm yawned, opening her wings to the sun for the first time in days. Gobber standing back with the brace in his hand, smiling, "Right pretty you are in this light. Should be good enough to fly I think. Just not too far, or fast, or high, or hard, or…"

"We get it." Snotlout a beefy armed boy with dark matted hair, rolled his eyes, his face breaking out in an expectant grin, "Let's see what she capable of."

"forget that," Tuff, a slender big nosed blonde punched his hands together, "Let's see what she can do."

His fraternal twin, Ruff smiled in agreement, "Can we start with blowing something up? Please, can we?"

Hiccup ignored them as he stroked the silver dragoness on her neck; she gave a simple purr in return shaking herself as she eyed the other humans in the arena. She had been reluctant to come in at first, seeing as the large circular pit had chains and bars covering the ceiling. It wasn't until Toothless had gone in after the twin headed Zippleback and Astrid's Nadder, Stormfly that she even budged from the front gate.

She eyed the group of humans with some distaste, still looking to Toothless from time to time as if seeking reassurance. She had no idea what these humans had in mind for her, but the sight of Fishlegs's face as he bounced up and down with a quill and paper in his hands was enough to send chills down your spine. He looked like he had been eating to many sweets for the past…well, let's say a week, and he was still in the rush phase.

To feather-storm he almost looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. Something that wouldn't bide well after all the work that had gone onto getting her to trust them.

As she folded her wings again, Hiccup hoped up onto Toothless's back, clipping his false leg into the special stirrup, "Alright class, we're going to start with a simple flight. Feather-storm is going to follow us around to the cove and after that we'll start assembling a chapter for her in the book of dragons."

Fishlegs nearly squealed raising his hand, "Oh, Oh, Oh, her name, I have a name for her."

Ruff snorted, "Uh yeah we all know her name is Feather-storm. Duh!"

Her brother laughed along, "I think he had Dragon nip in his breakfast again."

Fishlegs ignored them happily hoping from one foot to the other, "Feather-storm is a special kind of dragon, one we've never seen before, so she needs a special type of name for herself. I was up all night thinking about it and I think I have the perfect one."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a glance, they knew the stout boy well enough to know he would keep it up until somebody heard.

"Why does _he_ get to name her?" Snotlout whined, maybe _I_ have a good name for her."

They all looked at him, he stuck his nose in the air, "I said _maybe_."

"How about we discuss this after we know more about her?" Hiccup gripped the saddle, testing the tail before takeoff, "Ready?"

The Night Fury jumped through the gate, wings stretching to the wind, lifting upwards into the sky, the other riders mounted their dragons following in their unique ways, shouting for a race. Feather-storm watched them a moment opening her own feather wings, ears twitched as she heard the word 'race', a faint smile crossing her snout.

888

Snotlout and the twins were zipping through the air, their dragons squealing in delight at the challenge. Hiccup looked on as they sped past, shouting taunts at each other.

"Hookfang is faster and stronger than that two headed green blob of yours." Snotlout puffed his chest out. His red Nightmare giving a growl.

"Oh yeah, well our dragon is faster than your brain." Ruff jeered.

"And with four of us that makes us four times faster than both of you." Tuff shouted fist bumping his sister, their dragon hissing through both heads.

Hiccup shouted up, "Com on guys, were supposed to be taking it easy o this flight, Feather-storm…"

"Did she take off with us?" Fishlegs called.

Hiccup face palmed, shoot he hadn't looked back to see if she had followed, as far as he knew she was still in the arena sunning herself. With an adjustment to the stirrups his black dragon began to turn around. In time to hear a screech like a reed flute on a high note.

"Hiccup look!" Astrid pointed to a white form coming up fast. Feather wings gripping at air easily as it climbed higher and higher, right past them. Feather-storm slowed her climb, flapping to stay in a hover staring down at them; she spotted the two dragons and three riders racing ahead and screeched at the black dragon, a glint in her eyes.

Toothless responded, flapping harder, straining to get moving. Stormfly already picking up speed to catch up with the others. Hiccup watched in awe as the silver dragoness arched backwards in slow movement, a quick flap and she speed off after the others.

Toothless grunted, hiccup sighed adjusting the pedals and sliding back in the saddle, "Guess we're racing after all."

999

Toothless shot past everyone easily heading for the sea cliffs, they charged through with agile twists and turns above the sea spray, landing on a high rock to watch the others. Snotlout and Hookfang kept bumping into places, not slowing down.

"He's getting better at this."

Astrid and Stormfly breezed past squeezing through every obstacle as easily as Hiccup had.

"Always at the top."

The twins came next, they crashed three times before getting through. Once almost falling out of the sky.

Hiccup shook his head, "Going to need to work with them, again."

Fishlegs was flying a little more slowly, hiccup was surprised, he was doing alright through the maze of stone sure, but he had expected to see Feather-strom before the twins with the way she had flown of earlier.

Toothless gestured upwards, his rider following his gaze. Feather-storm was hovering just before the cliffs watching the others. After Fishlegs had gone through she arched again, more quickly this time, darting in and out of the stone cliffs in a flash of white. Hiccup caught his breath as he saw her slip past Fishlegs, fly around the twins, nip Hookfang's tail and arch over Stormfly to take the lead.

Hiccup was dumbfounded, the only other dragon he had seen move like that was…Toothless. The black dragon opened his wings, taking off without warning. Hiccup adjusted flying off, "Alright, then let's set the course."

As he past each one he shouted over which way the race was going to go, around the island to the far side and cut back through the forest. They nodded urging their dragons to go faster. Once he caught up to Astrid however he found it hard to get past her. He knew Stormfly had been getting faster lately, but this was ridiculous. The Nadder was actually keeping pace with Toothless right now, practically neck in neck. Feather-storm was in a good gap ahead of them. Hiccup didn't know which to be more impressed with at this point, Astrid's Nadder, or Feather-storm.

"This isn't our best bud, come on we can take em."

Toothless put it in high gear, screeching out.

111

The silver's ear twitched, she had heard the black call out. To her it was a challenge, and instructions, far side eh? She could do that. She chanced a look back. The fire-wing, boulder eater, and twin head were a good distance behind; but the spike tail and the Night walker were catching up, slowly and surely. She flapped a little harder calling back in her flutelike cry, sounding truly happy for the first time since her arrival.

_Catch me if you can!_


	5. Chapter 5- Thickening

_**For lack of a better chapter title, and the fact I plan to thicken the plot a bit after this. read, review, enjoy!**_

Ch5

Johan sailed onward with a nagging worry in the back of his mind, he had left the girl on dragon island over two days ago, and was still convinced he should've talked her out of it.

He had no idea what they did in her home country when it came to dragons, but he was sure that without anything more than a bow she might never be heard from again. Just because little Hiccup could survive with dragons didn't mean everyone could.

He spotted Berk just ahead; he spotted a few dragons flying around the cliffs and sighed, "No use worrying about her now, I've got a trade to run."

A flash of silver caught his eye, curious he pulled out his spyglass and searched, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw a beautiful white dragon blast green flames from her mouth, a familiar black dragon flying next to her as they circled out of sight. Johan shook his head, feathers like a gull. Could that have been the dragon the outcasts were after? If it was, and it was on Berk then Stoick and Hiccup would want to know, and soon.

*****8****

Feather-storm lay gasping for breath at the village edge, a huge obvious grin on her face as Gobber groomed her. The burly Viking however wasn't too happy, "Her wing's gone and started bleeding again, a small tear but nothing that couldn't have been avoided. Now who's numbskull idea was it to race her in the first place?"

All fingers pointed to Snotlout and the twins, even the accused attempting to turn Gobber's angry gaze away from them. The three of them were each given a swift cuff to the back of their heads, "I might've known. You three will clean up my forge while Johan's in port today."

The mention of the salty trader caught their attention, seeing this Gobber nodded, "Sven saw his ship headed in just an hour ago, he'll be in port in the next few minutes. So anything you want to look at Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, you can wait until you've cleaned the forge from top to bottom."

The three groaned, "That's not fair, by the time we're done all the good stuff will be taken."

"Well that's your problem isn't it?" Gobber headed inside, "Stay there girl, I'll go get you a salve for that wing."

Feather-storm purred musically, turning to Toothless with a smile. The black dragon sat next to her and gently began licking her wing.

Snotlout and the twins all crossed their arms in disappointment; Tuff whispered to his sister, "You know this was all your fault, right?"

She grabbed his helmet horns and twisted him to the ground, following up with a kick to the ribs. Tuff groaned, "Haven't felt that one in a while. Kind of miss it."

Feather-storm shifted as she watched this, looking towards hiccup. The boy smiled, "Don't worry; those two are always like this. Hey you should meet Trader Johan; he'd love to meet a dragon like you."

Fishlegs held up a molted feather, smiling, "I'll bet he'd like to trade for a few of these too."

The silver dragoness snorted, absently glancing at her feathery wings.

****8****

"My word, aren't you just beautiful." Johan breathed eyes unable to take his eyes off sleek form and shinning wings. The dragoness stared at things around his ship from the docks, she was a bit large to get on board what with so many others already pilling on to get first glimpse at the salty trader's wares.

One of the other Vikings nodded, patting the man on his back, "She's amazing alright. She's as fast as Toothless, Hiccups night fury, saw it with my own eyes. Be useful if Alvin ever attacks again eh?"

Alvin…was sending out ships to find a dragon with feather wings…could this one be…? He spotted Hiccup coming up to him with a pot of ink and bolt of fine leather, "Johan, what can I trade for these?"

Johan glanced to the boy, the dragoness was staring at a stringed instrument Gobber was playing, or trying to, something about the little thing didn't sound right to him.

"How long has that white dragon been here?" the trader asked absently.

Hiccup had to follow the man's gaze to know what he was talking about, "who Feather-storm? Two weeks, maybe longer. Are you thinking of training a dragon of your own?"

Johan gave a laugh at the suggestion, "Maybe when I'm a bit more grey. Tell me, Feather-storm, she got that name from how she got here right? In a storm?"

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, "It's that obvious isn't it? I couldn't think of anything else at the time really."

That proved it, Alvin wanted this dragon. And when Alvin wants something, he went through forceful measures, even cruel ones to get what he wanted. Johan had heard of his attempts to get Hiccup in the past, none of them sat well with the humble trader. He turned to the boy, lowering his voice, "I came across an Outcast ship on the way here. The crew let slip that they were looking for a dragon, one just like Feather-storm."

Hiccup's face twisted in a mixture of confusion and fear, "Did you hear why?"

Johan shook his head, "All I know is that they were on Alvin's orders to find it…her. They even said they had several ships looking in different directions."

Hiccup frowned, it sounded desperate somehow, there had to be more to this. He glanced at Feather-storm remembering the spear they had found in her shoulder, if Alvin had been trying to catch her, and still was, then he must have some big plans. The boy had seen for himself how fast the dragoness could fly when she wanted to, and during the unintended race she had shown a capability to breathe bursts of green that froze everything it touched, such as is tail fin, forcing it in a fixed position.

He turned back to the salty trader, "I'll find my dad, you need to tell us everything that happened."

Johan nodded, "I remember where your house is, I'll come by tonight."

He picked up the ink pot, "as for this, my gangplank rig broke a while ago, can you fix it?"

***8***

A rat came slinking around for food, scraps, anything it could get its paws on. It sniffed the air looking for anything, whiskers twitching as a pair of those burly feet came clomping by. It scurried under the nearest cage door out of sight, sniffing. The place smelled like death, perhaps something in here was worth eating. When you're a rat whose hungry enough you'll eat anything really, of course that could be said of about anything trapped on this miserable island the outcasts called home. Unless you were one of those burly soldiers, or wild hunting dragons, you ate whatever you could get your mouth around.

The rat sniffed, edging closer to the source of the smell, not rotten, but not fresh either, still it could be food as far as the rodent was concerned. But there was another smell, a sweeter one, a frightening one, the rat shivered looking around in the dark. Nothing was moving, it inched closer to the nearest surface in case it needed to hide. Unfortunately, the next place it ended up was much slimier.

Fang ignored the squeaks of fear as the creature became wedged between his teeth. He shrugged off the pain as the tiny morsel scratched and bit in vain to escape, he shut out the sound it made when the rat died and swallowed it whole. Shivering in disgust he settled down to wait, already hearing more of the little creatures scurrying about.

How many of these things had crawled in here looking for a meal? How many had he forced himself to catch for a shrinking stomach? How much longer could he stand this?

He only had an answer to one, as long as it would take. He thought nothing of these Vikings, or their pitiful attempts to control him. They were all monsters, dragon hunters, killers; he had never heard a decent story about these humans in his life. Even the new tales of a dragons conqueror who supposedly drove a Red death to its demise said little of any good nature to these creatures. To his kind the Red death was known as the Controller, a creature that was more of a monster than the Vikings. Just because a human killed one didn't mean he was a friend to dragons, it just made these creatures worse in his eyes than before.

Stupid storm, coming out of nowhere like that, driving them to a place like this. They should never have left home, never left their nest where it was safe from humans.

He sighed shakily, thinking of the silver, his companion, his sister. At least she wasn't trapped on this island with him. Where ever she was hoped she was safe, among other dragons, or better yet back home.

Home, a simple word, yet even now it brought back memories, far away from humans like these smelly Vikings, with such meager rations.

And these rats. A scuffling sound reached his ear, coming closer. Not long and he snapped it up too, Yuck!


	6. Chapter 6

Ch6

Toothless was curled up with Feather-storm again in the great hall. (she stubbornly refused to sleep anywhere else) the silver dragon was already breathing long and soft in a deep and pleasant sleep. The Night Fury tucked her in with her own wings like he had done so many times before, looking to any observer like a parent tucking in a child. Astrid watched them smiling as she ate her dinner.

Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff and hiccup were More interested in Johan's report.

"Why would Alvin want a dragon like Feather-storm?" Ruff asked, "I mean she doesn't look like the kind of dragon he would ride."

Tuff snorted, "If he knew how to train them in the first place."

"True," Ruff admitted.

"Even if he _could_ train dragons, let alone _ride_ them, I doubt he would want a Gull flyer, not the most fierce looking next to him." Fishlegs said a-matter-o-factly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Gull flyer?" Snotlout laughed, "What kind of dragon name is that?"

Fish twiddled his fingers, "I'm still trying to come up with a name for what she is ok? I don't have a lot to go on like we did for the Typhomerang."

"Whatever." Snot took a bite of his meal. Fishlegs turned to Hiccup.

"So…what would a guy like Alvin want with a dragon like Feather-storm?"

Hiccup shrugged, thinking back to everything they had seen her do so far. Snotlout counting them off on his fingers, "Come on why wouldn't he? Fast flyer, always sharp claws, powerful jaws, and icy breath that froze instantly, and those wings would fool anybody into thinking she wasn't much before, BAM!"

He slammed his hands on the table, rattling everything and spilling a few cups, "Out comes the unexpected ice breath from a white frosty dragon."

Fishlegs groaned, "Aw man, that's perfect! Why didn't I think of that? A White Frost."

Hiccup shook his head, "No that's not it."

Tuff dropped his fork, "Why not? White Frost sounds as cool as a Night Fury or a whispering death, (I still want one of those)."

Hiccup frowned, "Not the name, Alvin. If he knew about Feather-storm's abilities why did it take him this long to start looking for her? Johan and my Dad figured the ship he passed was only three days out form Outcast island. And Feather-storm's been with us on Berk for much longer."

Astrid and fish nodded, understanding crossed their faces as clearly as confusion crossed the others. Hiccup continued, "Not to mention the spear that was lodged in her shoulder was proof that the outcasts attacked her in the first place. So why wait this long to find her when it would've been easier to track her down the same day they hurt her?"

"True." Astrid said, thinking back, "Even on open water a downed dragon is easier to find when you go right ahead and look for it."

She stared at the two dragons again, Toothless had curled up next to the silver and closed his eyes. Astrid sighed, "So what should we do about it? if Alvin is looking for Feather-storm, how do we react?"

All eyes were on Hiccup, the chief's son shook his head slowly, "Right now, We just have to keep an eye out for any of Alvin's ships headed our way. Anything beyond that… I don't know."

***8***

With his little ship back on the sea, Johan worked the riggings of his sail headed for Outcast Island, he disliked the robbers to some degree, but then business was business after all.

He looked behind him to watch the island of Berk fade in the distance, "I can't lie when I say it's one of my favorite places to visit."

He smiled turning to six large sliver white feathers, courtesy of the dragon herself. He had never traded with a dragon before, and frankly was glad of the result . Feather-storm was a strange dragon if not generous when she offered him her feathers in exchange for some honey an old longbow without a string and a bolt of colorful silk. Smart of her to notice he was staring at them like that, he wondered if she would be willing to trade him for more should they meet again. After all he knew a few places that were very interested in dragon teeth, claws and scales. Berk may not trade skins anymore, but they still had an abundance of the rest to use.

He wrapped them up and stowing them in his pocket, no use cluing the outcasts in to where their 'dangerous, injured, gull winged' dragon was. He had no intention of trading them around these parts anyway.

As the open sea before him began to darken in the late evening, Johan's mind went back to his conversation with Stoick and hiccup last night…

_"They're looking for Feather-storm? Why?"_

_Johan shook his head for the burly man, "No idea, I almost wonder if I could've gotten anything out of them. The only reason I know is because of what Strider said. She was a girl who traded with me for passage to this area."_

_"Strider eh? Nice name. "Stoick thought aloud before continuing, "You're sure its Feather-storm?"_

_Johan nodded, "When Hiccup said her name I knew it."_

_Hiccup frowned, "There's gotta be more to it than that. Did you find anything else out? How many ships are looking? Did they say anything that might give us a clue?"_

_Johan thought back to when the captain and Strider were talking, "Like I said, Strider commented on how raiding a dragon would be easier than taking from most in the east and then they let slip they were looking for a dragon, they also said she didn't have to be alive for whatever Alvin had in mind."_

_Hiccup frowned worriedly, the chieftain shared the same look as his son. Stoick stood up, "I wonder…Bait maybe…or…"_

_"Hostage," hiccup finished "it makes sense after how the other dragons react around her doesn't it?"_

_Stoick shook his head, "It's a possibility, but not one I think could work. Still, hiccup I want you to take your riders and patrol the again before the sunlight's gone. Keep things quiet for now. After that I want you to arrange a guard system for Feather-storm, she can't leave the island until we know what Alvin's up to."_

_Hiccup nodded, "What about the villagers?"_

_Stoick frowned, "I don't want a repeat of when Thor was striking those dragon perches and they blamed Toothless for it. I'll tell Gobber and get a patrol to watch the seas in case one of Alvin's ships come to close and decides to do something funny."_

_Hiccup nodded again and left for the door. Stoick then turned to Johan with an apologetic face, "Thank you for your time Johan. Can't be too careful with Alvin, he can be as smart as Hiccup from time to time. And that's one thing I'll hate about him the most."_

Johan sighed looking at his lack of company, "Hope Strider is alright."

No sooner than he had said it, a dark green Nightmare flew over, roaring out into the night, heading for the opposite direction. Johan blinked, soon rubbing his eyes, was he seeing things or did that dragon have a black cloak on its neck?

He shrugged it aside as he saw three more nightmares flying behind the first. Must be looking for a new place to roost.

****8***

Mildew watched as the sun began to set, his eyes widening in surprise as he spotted a sail on the horizon. He recognized it even at this distance for the salty trader Johan, and judging from the direction he had just come from Berk. Mildew spat at the ground at the memory of his old home over run with dragons he hated, and being at 'peace' with ever Viking there making them go soft.

To his mind dragons were beasts no matter how you looked at them, simple animals that they now had ways to control. Mildew fumed, "Now if only we could get them to listen to orders."

Despite how much progress they had with getting dragons here to accept riders, they still seemed to be having trouble, and plenty of it, getting the dragons to do what they wanted. Same with this Day Fury Alvin had his eyes on.

"Wonder if that dragon is even still alive now," He muttered to Fungus, the little sheep chewing something with a bored look on his face, "Looked like a shell the last time I saw it."

"Mildew." A soldier came up giving a sloppy salute, "Alvin wants to know if there's any progress with the Day Fury."

"What do you think?" the old man snapped, "Of all the dragons on this island he has to go and set his sights on the one we know nothing about. In all the time we've had that beast locked up we haven't been able to so much as get one measly boot onto its back."

The soldier cringed as Mildew continued his ranting, "Oh sure now we can get onto their backs just fine, we don't have to worry about getting our limbs torn off as we take them out of their cages, but that _day fury_, I mean why him? What is so special about that dragon? After so long with so little progress I say we put the thing out of its misery and use its skin for a new canvas."

The soldier stared with a blank look, gulping, "Right…should I tell him that?"

"TELL HIM THAT DRAGON IS STILL USELESS!" mildew roared, adding with a lower voice, "And while you're at it, tell his trader Johan's ship is approaching."

At the mention of the salty trader the soldier got excited, running off and waving to everyone he passed by as he yelled the good news, "Johan is coming, Johan is coming."

Mildew rolled his eyes, "Simpletons, the lot of them."

Fungus gave a low bleat, following his master as they went down to the pens.

***8***

Alvin stared at Fang, the golden dragon was much quieter now, very still. If it weren't for the rising and falling of the dragon's chest eh would've thought the Day Fury was dead. He looked so much thinner now, feathers and scales had gone dull.

Alvin opened the cage door, Fang didn't stir. He walked noisily up to him, still no movement. He reached out a hand slowly and touched the dragon's unkempt feathers. Fang's eye shot open to glare at the man, lip raised in a snarl.

Alvin jerked back expecting the dragon to snap and writhe like so many times before. but nothing happened. A smile crept across the man's face, "Too weak to fight us off now are you?"

Fang snorted, his own lip turned into a toothy grin. Alvin frowned at this, "Or maybe your saving your strength for something."

Fang settled back onto the floor again, closing his eyes once more. The outcast leader clenched his hands, was this dragon mocking him?

"You think you're so smart then eh? Fine doesn't concern me, less fighting back just means we can finally get a rider on your back." Alvin brought his eyes closer, staying well out of the muzzle's chained reach, "I think I'd look right smart on a powerful dragon like yourself. Alvin the traitorous and his powerful Day fury, Fang. I can even give you some armor to make you look as dangerous as you really are, how's that sound?"

Fang didn't respond, he just sighed and appeared to have fallen asleep flicking his ear.

Alvin frowned getting up to leave, "Guard, when was this dragon last fed?"

The soldier flinched as the thought back, looking troubled, "Well…I…don't know sir, I started this post just three days ago. And come to think of it, I haven't seen anything other than rats going in there."

Alvin stroked his chin, "funny, I thought I told Mildew to give Fang less. Not cut his food completely. Have some fish grounded up for him, lots of it. I need that dragon to have _some_ of his strength when I start to ride him."

The soldier nodded, heading off to fulfill his master's orders. Alvin looked back into the cage smiling, _If I want you weak, I want it to be your soul. That's why we're looking for your friend Fang. I think when that silver gets here the first thing to do is to let the two of you have a caged reunion._

He chuckled at the thought of it, "A pair of Day fury's, what a sight that'll be eh?"

Fang slit his eye open, staring at the Viking chieftain. He watched the burly man walking away, laughing under his breath.

As Alvin left the pens he heard several of his men chattering excitedly, "Johan's ship's been spotted on its way here."

Alvin smiled, good, the trader had more than goods to trade after all. Perhaps he had a story or two for him.

***8***

Fang snorted, scaring away another rat. The dragon lay back down flattening his ears.

He knew that Viking was up to something, a plan to get him to accept a rider. He snorted, whoever heard of Vikings riding dragons? Ridiculous no matter how many times he heard it. still the way Alvin had said 'pair of Day Furies' what did he mean by that? The phrase was meaningless to him but somehow it caused him to feel uneasy.

His stomach groaned in want of food, Fang sighed and laid down again. Already he could hear rats crawling around. He decided better of it this time, the fact Alvin was planning to feed him would be a welcome change to  
those horrible tasting vermin.

**In light of how, for lack of a better word, mellow this chapter is, I think getting that misunderstanding on with is a good idea. Also, have you guessed what Strider's up to?**


	7. Chapter 7- Strider

On the far side of the island, a dark green Nightmare touched down, grunting and eagerly laying in the still warm sands. A figure in black cloak hoped off its back, stretching out to full extent, and shaking out her things. She turned to the dragon and scratched him behind the horns.

"thanks for the lift. How much do I owe you?"

The dragon shook its wings out, hobbling off to find a spot to sleep for the night. The girl smiled, pulling off her pack, boots and cloak, setting them above the shoreline, "Go home whenever you like Fire skin, I've got an island to scout first."

In another moment the girl was gone, seeming to melt into the gathering darkness. The Nightmare blinked looking back and forth wondering where she got to. Eventually he shook his head and poured lava onto the ground, soon settling to sleep.

***8***

"Stride in silence

Feather-storm glanced back over her shoulder, yep still there, both of them. Toothless curled up in sleep beside her as usual, and the boy Hiccup snoring in fading candlelight. An open book and several charcoal sticks and ink lay on the table before him. Feather-storm sighed, shouldn't that boy be in bed by now? she got up carefully so not to wake her shadow and inched her nose closer to the boy.

She nudged him once, twice, three times and he just groaned and rolled over. Figures he was tired, he had been sitting there for nearly the whole night scribbling in his book. She glanced at it, curious to see why he would work on it so late. Her sapphire eyes widened, papers before him had rough sketches of a her, stretching out in the sun, flying overhead, sitting with Toothless who smiled at her. They were each covered with the Viking runes, their own alphabet, she could read Norse script a little. And after reading a line slowly wondered why anyone would bother putting that much time into making notes about her.

She looked in the book, half a page was scribbled with the same writing and the start of a feathered dragon sat to attention on the page, very life like in the dim lighting.

The silver dragoness gave a small smile, gently picking the boy up in her paws. She walked on her hind legs back to where she had been asleep and set him down by the black dragon's wings, they both stirred a little not waking. She nodded to herself, guess they were both pretty tired.

She glanced back at the book a minute, with a smile she wrapped her wings around her. And began to do something she hadn't done for a while. Change.

***8***

Strider saw everything easily, her feet making hardly a sound as she bobbed through the trees, her nose twitched smelling pines and rowan trees, the smell of burning oils and wood caught her attention.

Halting for a moment, she closed her eyes trying to find where that smell was coming from.

"Stupid dull senses, Human noses just don't work when you want them too." She muttered, picturing a wolf in her mind's eye taking over her. She felt her skin tickle as her body numbed, her hand's stretched out to resemble paws, her legs altered into a more canine form covered in dark brown fur, her ears moved upward and pointed into large velvet triangles, a silky brown tail appeared behind her, swishing back and forth. She stopped as soon as the fangs came in, smiling as her sense of smell increased to a hound's level.

She sniffed the air again, the smell of burning oil came through much clearer, "that way huh?"

Another few scents hit her nose, causing it to twitch in confusion, "Musty Vikings check, farm animals check, fish and salt water check, resin and sawed wood check, cabbages unusual, sea water: well it is an island. Dragon blood…minimal? That _can't_ be right."

She sniffed again and again, walking closer towards the village, ears trained for any sudden sounds. Her mind went back to the lack of blood in the air, even on the dragon island she had smelled traces of the stuff from dragon fights, and those Vikings who said they were looking for a silver dragon reeked of the stuff, but here…it was as if dragons found few reasons to fight, anyone. But that couldn't be right, dragons were hunted by Vikings all the time, that's the way it had been for three hundred years.

She frowned dashing off into the night, the smell of the village dominating her senses even more as she got closer.

Sounds of worry reached her ears, shouting and scuffling. A dragon attack? She landed just outside seeing firelight and shadows dancing, silhouettes of Vikings and dragons flitted in and out of sight. Her nose twitched as she realized something was missing, "They're running around with dragons but there's no blood anywhere…what the heck do these people do with dragons if they don't slay them here?"

She raised her ears, focusing on the shouting's, the dragons sounded concerned, the Vikings were all calling as if in a search for someone, the name Feather-storm was repeated several times over.

"Not a bad name for a Viking, if not unorthodox for their culture." She muttered, she watched as a few Vikings came her way carrying torches. She flexed her claws and smiled, "Let's get some answers shall we?"

***8***

Hiccup searched in a panic, how could a dragoness that size have disappeared under his watch? And how did she slip past Toothless without him noticing?

His only clue to where she had gone was a strange girl Sven had seen in the great hall, as soon as she had seen Sven she screamed waking Toothless with a start and bumping Hiccup as a result. The last he had seen of the girl was her running barefoot out the door into the night, Toothless chasing after her in a panic.

As soon as the Vikings noticed Feather-storm was missing the alarm was sounded, orders were, find Feather-storm and find the girl for questioning.

He searched for any sign of a flash of silver, the image of the girl still fresh in his mind, a pale skinned youth around his own age with graceful features and frightened blue eyes wearing a simple dress made of colored silk, her hair turned red in the candlelight.

He searched for her now, hoping she had a clue to where the silver dragoness had gone. His father was heard shouting orders to check the coast for enemy ships. If Alvin had somehow gotten his hands on Feather-storm who knows what he would do with her. And if he had gotten her so easily then there was little telling how easily he could do something nasty under the cover of this darkness.

From the corner of his eye he saw a fleeting black shape run off for the woods, Toothless. Without any hesitation or doubt in his mind he went after his friend into the trees, "Toothless, Feather-storm."

***8***

One Viking was searching behind the armory, calling out that there was nothing there to the others. He was about to leave when something crashed behind him, he turned to see a bucket spinning on the ground. Someone was there, that girl maybe?

He stepped carefully speaking softly, "Las? If that's you then come on out, we just have some questions for you."

He heard footsteps running behind him, he turned expecting to see someone, but there was no one there. He heard it again behind him, again he turned to see nothing, now he heard something on the celling rafters, clawing and scraping like dragon claws.

"Is that a Terror I hear?" he gulped, "Come on out, this isn't funny."

He stepped further inside, trying to calm himself. It's just a little Terror, just a little dragon.

"Come on now I can't be playing these games." He called, still looking around.

Suddenly the armory door slammed shut, the burly man rushed for it realizing it was locked from the outside, but how?

"Who said anything about games?" an icy growl sounded behind him, sending shivers down his spine. He turned to see a shadow land lightly by the far wall, the shape of a slender wolf standing on its hind legs, "I certainly never said anything about a silly game."

The Viking bunched his muscles, preparing for an attack, the creature seemed to melt into the shadows, disappearing completely.

The burly man glanced in the dark straining for any sign of her, a movement, a sound, anything. He stepped forward, picking up an axe to defend himself with.

Something brushed against him in the dark, large and furry. He swung out, terrified, hitting a barrel of weapons over with a loud crash.

He stumbled in the dark the voice laughing, "What's the matter Norse man? You seem to be blind as a cave fish in here."

He swung again hitting air, but something hit him in the shoulder just under his armor, something small and sharp. He hissed out in pain covering the wound, another something hit his knees hard, he felt a rush of numbness in his leg forcing him to kneel.

"Don't bother getting up, Killer." A spark of light and a torch was soon flickering before him, as well as the face of a large brown wolf showing her fangs, "I have a few questions of my own, and you're going to tell me what I want to hear."

She showed a paw holding a claw as she spoke, touching the Viking's throat, "Or I'll show you what a few friends of mine have felt at your hands."

The Viking shivered, eyes wide in fear and confusion, "Loki's wolf child? It's not possible…"

"You see me, smell my breath, hear my voice and feel my paw at your throat. I'd say it's possible."

The burly man tried to move, only to find his arm and leg would not obey, they felt numb as if they weren't there. How? it was only a few scratches, unless…he gulped. She was a monster.

***8***

It didn't take long for her to leave the simpleton shivering in fear, smiling to herself, Loki's wolf child eh? She remembered from Norse legends that Loki had two sons at some point, a wolf and a snake. Though how that worked she didn't care to know, but the fact one was a wolf might give her an edge. If they thought she was a unknown daughter of this Loki character she might have next to no trouble with these slayers. She might even find a way to control them a bit…she shook her head. No, better to get her info and get out.

She was surprised to learn that Feather-storm was the name of a silver dragon, the same one she was looking for by his description. She was even more surprised to hear that they had left a boy to look after her, some scrimp called Hiccup. She rolled her eyes inwardly when she had heard the name, she knew Vikings believed a good name keeps gnomes and bad sprits away, but please, Hiccup? The best that name would do was make people fall over laughing for hours, or get the kid some water.

Still, if 'Feather-storm' was with this young Hiccup, then he had to be pretty strong and fearful to keep her under his thumb since her arrival. She could picture the silver now, huddled in a cage, injured and scared while some meaty boy laughed and poked a sword at her.

She sniffed the air, the place was quieting down, smells of all sorts of dragons were everywhere. The streets were emptying out.

"No blood." She muttered, "Did all the dragons get away?"

Her ears pricked at a familiar hooting, similar to a flute and frightened. But it was like it came from a human. She frowned, that could only mean one thing.

Her heart raced as she saw several Vikings headed in the same direction, great, more work to do.

She hoped to it, rushing the first Viking she came across with a quick smack to the neck, he went down silently. She moved to the next one, and another, knocking them out as she went.

_If I smell like blood when I get to her she'll be petrified,_ she reasoned with herself, sneaking out of sight with the next one, _Hold on till I get there, Mimibrunser._

**so now Strider is on the island. In case you didn't know, yes, shes looking for Fang and Feather-storm. Why? Guess for yourself. Next chapter coming soon, thank you for reading. (bow) Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8- Trust

Ch8- Trust

Alvin glared in disgust at the figure before him, a scrawny little man in what looked like a dress made of rich cloth and patterns. He stood looking up at the Viking with a shiver, staring over a pair of thin rimmed glass over his eyes.

"What is this supposed to be?" the outcast sneered, "I asked for a silver dragon, not a shivering foreigner."

One of the guards dropped a sack at his leaders feet, it dropped open to reveal several dried plants, strings of gems, and a sack of coins, Alvin snorted, "Os he's a trader eh?"

The man shook his head, "No s-sir, I-I'm a r-researcher and a h-healer."

Alvin scoffed turning to his dragon trainer, "Do we have any use for one of those here?"

Mildew shook his head, "I'm prêt sure we already have a healer in our ranks, maybe we should just take what he has and kill him."

Alvin nodded, delighting in the fear on the paling man's face, "Sounds like an idea, so let's see what else you have. Bring me a few of those little bags there."

A guard obeyed, cutting the string off for his master. Alvin poked his hand in with a greedy smile as he emptied the first one, dried flowers. The next one had what looked like whispering death teeth, "How would a small thing like you get these without getting ripped to pieces I wonder."

The crew laughed at this. The man stayed pale, gulping loudly and muttering, "Not working…it's not working…"

Alvin opened the last two bags, as soon as his hand was in his smile vanished in favor of confusion. He pulled his hand out holding a fist full of white scales, reflecting rainbows in the dim light. The others stared whispering as Alvin pulled out a fist full of rumpled feathers from the bag, feathers of different colors and shades, all gleaming beautifully.

Pale yellow, bright green, blue tinged white, rosy red lined in white, purple fading to a fire orange at its tip, and the most common was a coal black outlined in red, the feathers all ranging in sizes from the length of his forearm and under.

Mildew's eyes widened as well as he saw them, one look saw Alvin had made the concecttion too, as did even the dimmest candle in Alvin's ranks who had ever seen the reluctant and dangerous dragon.

"These feathers," He held them up for the man to see, "Where did you get them?"

The man shivered, stuttering, "W-well sir, they came f-from an extremely rare bird with wings like…"

"Bird my eye!" Lavin slammed his fist on the arm of his seat, causing a loud bang, and for their visitor to fall back onto his behind, shivering uncontrollably, "I've seen feathers like these before, they belong to a new kind of dragon. Dragons with feathers in their wings."

The man's eyes widened, "Y-you've killed one?"

Alvin didn't answer, he got up grabbing the man by the front of his silken shirt, tearing some of the seems as the small being was jerked up to eye level, "Tell me where you got this, and how. and _if_ you lie to me, I'll send you to spend the night with one of my night guard. I'm sure they'd love the target practice."

The man turned several shades paler, if that was even possible at this point.

***8***

Toothless ran through the dark, sniffing for any trace of the girl, the silver dragoness. His green eyes pierced thorough the dark searching for a flash of silver white. He cried out her name, begging her to come out. He saw a flash of movement; someone was running for the woods, he rushed off after it. The dragoness's sent hitting his nostrils. He called after her, she didn't slow down. He heard his human call after both of them, she still didn't slow down.

He followed her into the trees until he lost her, his human not far behind him.

"Toothless? Did you find her bud?" the boy placed a hand on his wings, human eyes were weaker in the dark. Toothless swept his human a little closer, sniffing out where the silver had gone.

A flash of white in the moonlight and Hiccup saw her to, a white haired girl running in the dark. A group of Vikings far behind her. Toothless nudged his human onto his back. Hiccup understood and climbed on; checking the tail shift, "Get ahead of her. Try not to scare her."

Toothless needed no second bidding as he took off for the moonlit treetops. As they made quick work of the distance, Toothless realized there was another sent down there, a forging one a human and yet, a swift determined one, closing in on the scent of the dragoness almost as quickly as they were. It sent a tingle down Toothless's spine, he wasn't sure he liked that smell. It had an undertone of something willing to kill should the need arise. It slightly reminded him of how the red death would devour other dragons when not satisfied.

He shivered at the memory. Landing ahead of the sweeter scent of the silver dragoness and calling out her name in his own tongue, Hiccup peering in the darkness as a slender girl appeared.

Hiccup was off in a flash, holding up his hands as if she was a dragon. Toothless mused over the idea a moment as the scent came closer.

The girl watched him, eyes widened in surprise, brilliant blue eyes.

Hiccup spoke slowly, still holding out his hands, "Its ok, I just want to talk to you."

The girl shivered, shaking her head, "I'm sorry…you won't…understand…not listen…call us devils."

She spoke uncertainly, as if tumbling over the language. Hiccup took a moment to process what she was saying. Toothless shivered behind him, that scent was getting closer.

He couldn't take it; he had to find out what it was coming from.

***8***

Hiccup paid little mind as his dragon left, he had noticed the Night Fury getting jittery as though something was wrong. Hiccup was sure the dragon would be fine, after all the only other things on the island at the moment were other Berk Vikings and their dragons.

He was more concerned at the moment with the girl. He held his hands where she could see them, talking slowly, "Look, I know you're scared. We were just surprised to find you all of a sudden, that's all. I'm sure if you explain yourself we can work this out. Get you…some help?"

The girl shook her head again, violently, "Leave alone…please…let me change."

Hiccup came closer, "I can help you if you let me, tell me what's wrong."

The girl became frightened, "Guise not trust Vikings."

Guise, was that the name of her tribe? Seemed an odd name, but who was he to judge different traditions?

"You can trust me." He reached for her hand slowly, her skin felt cold on his own. Her scared eyes stared right into his, they were familiar somehow. She shivered, a tear forming in her eyes.

"How?" she said slowly, looking at the ground, "How a Viking like you... so kind?

Hiccup smiled, "I'm different, and that's all."

"Hiccup…" she shivered, the boy's eyes widening in surprise. She knew his name!

She looked at him, "Fea…"

"GET YOUR MURDEROUS HANDS AWAY FROM HER!" someone screamed.

Hiccup barely had time to think as something grabbed his arm and threw him clear over twenty feet. He landed with a loud thump against a tree, shaking himself off as he looked to his attacker. His blood ran cold as he saw a wolf standing on two legs, teeth bared and flexing claws in the moonlight.

The wolf growled in a low feminine voice, "You dare harm my lady."

Hiccup's mind reeled, glancing at the girl behind the creature. She looked just as shock as he was. Hands to her mouth as she glanced to Hiccup.

The boy scrambled to get up, the wolf rushed for him. Before Hiccup knew what happened he was grabbed by his shirt front and thrust against a tree, gasping for breath and trying to keep from screaming. _This feels strangely familiar,_ he thought, staring into the angry golden eyes of a killer, a beast that had the power to rip him to shreds if it so chose.

"Just what were you trying to do with her, you talking Fishbone?"

Hiccup was robbed of words, grasping for the Wolf's paws, _defiantly familiar._

The wolf called over her shoulder, "Milady, are you hurt?"

The girl began storming over, her face a mix of shock and anger, "Let him go! He chief's son, he friend."

The wolf scoffed, "If he knew the whole story do you think he'd be kind to you? He's a Viking, they're all the same. Even odd ones like him aren't friends with us."

Hiccup's heart beat faster; the wolf's eyes stared into his own. The girl stood near them, looking conflicted about something. She grabbed the wolf's paw, voice shivering as she heard voices drawing near, "Let him go."

The wolf dropped him, Hiccup scrambling to get away from them. Eyes darting between the girl and the wolf in confusion.

The latter turned to her 'lady' and put a paw on the girl's shoulders, "Come on, before more of them show up."

They turned to leave, Hiccup's mind racing, Feather-storm…the girl was saying something about Feather-strom. He called after them, "Wait, what were you going to say?"

They both turned to look at him; the wolf had hatred in her eyes. Hiccup ignored it, staring at the girl, "You were saying something about Feather-storm, what was it?"

The wolf growled, "Go back to the village, boy!"

Hiccup shook his head, "Not until you tell me. If you know where she is then tell me; please it important. Trader Johan told us that Alvin is looking for a silver dragon just like her, we don't know why but if she leaves now then…"

The wolf flexed again, "Then you can't claim rights to this dragon? Can't claim her hide for your own? A pelt like that would be the envy of any tribe. A prize even more valuable than the dragon you call Night Fury."

At this something clicked in his mind, was the wolf after Feather-storm too? From the spite in her voice she obviously didn't wanted to kill the silver, but what about her hatred of Vikings.

"I'm not a dragon killer…"

The wolf burst out laughing, "Is that so, you've never killed a dragon? Not one of any kind? There's no dragon laying dead because of you?"

Hiccup shuddered, "That…no, I killed…"

"THEN WHAT MAKES YOU SO DIFFERENT?" the wolf roared out.

Hiccup stood a little taller, "I'm a dragon trainer, not a killer."

The wolf's eyes widened, larger than they may have ever before. Hiccup turned to the girl again, "Now please..."

The wolf was on him, pinning him to the ground, teeth glistening in the moonlight, "LIES, what makes you think I'm going to buy such a story as that?"

She raised her claws high, "Why should I believe _YOU!_"

***8***

Strider felt nothing but rushing anger, how dare this boy try to tell her such tales. How dare he admit to killing dragons and saying he was no killer. How dare he trick her into thinking he was her friend. How dare he…how dare he…how dare he be born a Viking!

She raised her claws to strike; the boy's eyes squinted shut, shivering in fear. Her mind battled a moment at what she was thinking of doing.

Just a small boy, he couldn't help where he was born or how he was taught.

But this was a Viking's child, son of a dragon slayer admitting to have killed before, who was to say he wouldn't do it again?

She heard a rushing sound behind her, her nose filled with the scent of other humans nearby. Her anger won, her claws dropped…

They never connected, she felt herself being knocked aside by a large white mass. Her breath was knocked out of her from the blow, her mind turned blank as she looked up to see a slender, cat pawed, feather winged dragon standing over the boy, fangs bared towards her.

Her growls easily stated her intentions. The wolf was stunned as she realized what had happened, her mistress, had just changed back in front of…had just defied her for…chose to save…a Viking child.

**AN: I APPOLOGIZE FOR TAKING SO LONG WITH THIS ONE. MY COMPUTER HAS BEEN ACTING UP. AS SUCH: THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL TAKE A BIT LONGER TO UPLOAD. THANK YOU FOR YOU PATEINCE. (bow) please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

Mildew watched the little man carefully as they walked down to the cells. The men had started called him dress man for that strange garment he wore. The little man kept reaching for his glasses muttering about something not being right. The old man scoffed, coward should've sailed a different direction, or better yet the men should've just killed him, then they wouldn't have to hear the little lump make so much noise.

Hearing him whimper and whine every time the guards poked him was starting to give him a headache.

He gave Fungus a pat on the head, "Wonder if the man didn't just trade for those feathers, eh fungus?"

The sheep just chewed with a bored look on his face.

****8***

Fang snapped up another mouse, he wasn't sure what was bothering him the most right now, still being a prisoner to Vikings, being given small rations of nothing but fish and meat day after day, worrying over the silver, having to continue to catch mice and rats to pass the time, or the fact he seemed to be building a tolerance to the way the vermin tasted.

He snorted managing to send a spark of blue out his nose only to regret it. That was never comfortable to say the least.

His ears pricked at the sound of heavy footfalls, the gold sighed closing his eyes, he could hear the gruff voice of their leader. What was that bumbling boulder up to now? And who was making those annoying squeals?

"Shut your yap!" Alvin shouted.

Fang sniffed to himself, all bark. So it was going to be like that this time eh? Sometimes he wondered why the other Vikings on this island let a man like that lead them.

In time he heard the group coming down the hallway, other dragons hissed and screeched in either fear or anger as they passed by.

"Y-you certainly have q-quite a collection Mr. traitorous." A small voice said.

Alvin chuckled, "a collection? You could call it that. Want to guess what they're for?"

"W-well…(ahem) I think I'd rather find out for myself."

The gold flicked his ear, that voice seemed familiar somehow. He shook his head as much as the restraints would allow tossing the thought to the back of his mind. The footsteps stopped outside his cage. Alvin had the guard unlock it. He heard someone get shoved inside with a frightened yelp.

Alvin came closer, Fang recognized that stench by now, knew that hand that so disrespectfully touched his wings. The gold ignored it as best he could, what he wouldn't give to snap all four of the man's limbs off and leave _him_ in a cage.

"Feast your eyes, of all the feathers you had in your collection, I'll bet you never saw a golden one before eh?" Alvin said with a chuckle, "And not only that but he's powerful too. Its why we have him chained up like this. See Deadly Nadders, whispering deaths, Scauldrons, Gronkles, Changewings; we can learn to handle them in good time…"

Fang twitched his ear in annoyance. Alvin continued.

"But this, The Day Fury, we know only so much and we still can't control it. So now I ask you, foreigner." His voice became lower, "How does a man like you get his hands on so many dragon feathers?"

****8****

Alvin stared at 'dress man' kneeling so close to the golden head, his eyes were wider than before, the little man hadn't moved since getting pushed inside. He just stared at the once shivering mess of a man waiting for answer. The burly Outcast leader chuckled aloud, "Well look here, he's so impressed he's been struck dumb. Guess he's never really seen one of these dragons before in his life."

The men all began to laugh aloud, clapping each other on the back as if it was the best joke they had heard in a while. Alvin glanced back to 'dress man', his face fell in confusion. There was a nasty looking grin on the man's face, and he was standing up, straightening his glasses.

The other men soon noticed this and stopped laughing, thinking something else was going on.

Alvin watched as 'dress man' took a step back and folded his arms into his wide sleeves, his voice completely different form before, "Alvin the Outcast, I believe we can do business together. Also you may want to take a step away from the…Day Fury."

Before anyone could even process the sudden change in this foreigner, Fang's eyes snapped open to look up at this stranger. Fang threw Alvin off of him and began wildly straining against his bonds, lunging and roaring after the little man before him. Going so far as to send sparks through his nose at the man.

The Vikings all took several steps back, Alvin hurriedly stepped out dragging 'dress man' out with him, "CLOSE THAT DOOR NOW!"

They hurried to do so, Fang was still thrashing and screaming out in a rage. Alvin turned to the little man frowning.

The little man dusted himself off and gave the Viking a cold smile, "Don't look at me like that, it not my fault he wants to kill me. You see, I've met that particular dragon before among others. Day fury really fits him now doesn't it? Now then Mr. Alvin, how about we start with you telling me what it is you plan to do with him, and maybe I can help you."

Alvin raised a brow, looking back at the gold's cage, a flash of blue lightning shot out through the bars, injuring several soldiers that were too close to the cage door.

"HE'S GOTTEN HIS MUZZLE OFF! SOMEONE GET THE BUCKETS."

Alvin frowned turning back to 'dre…the foreigner, "What's your name lad?"

The man gave a small bow at his waist, "I am not that young Mr. Alvin, for the time being you can call me, Gon."

***8***

Hiccup felt her eyes in the back of his neck, she had been watching him intently since last night, a black mass at her side refusing to leave even more than before.

The boy sighed and tried to eat his meal with the other riders and forget about what had happened. The conversation however was making that impossible.

"…So you really think that thing was the wolf child of Loki?" Tuff asked, "wonder if she can blow stuff up too."

Ruff smirked in agreement. Fishlegs shook his head, "Memory serves to remind us that Fenrir the wolf is Loki's _son._ This was just a wolf."

"With enough speed and strength that it took everything our dragons had in them to catch her." Astrid said absently.

Fishlegs shivered, whimpering, "Don't remind me! poor Meatlug still has a scratch on her jaw."

Snotlout scoffed, "that's because you went and crashed into a tree."

"Hey, the wolf came out of nowhere and we lost control, that's it ok? We were under stress." Fish shoved a mouthful of mutton into his mouth ending the subject. The twins snickered.

Hiccup glanced back at the black and white shapes behind him, sure enough those blue eyes were staring straight at him. He groaned, feeling a knot form in his stomach, and muttering under his breath, "First Alvin is looking for her, then a werewolf says she know her and now Feather-storm is glaring at me like I did something wrong."

Tuff heard him, "Well you did fall asleep when you were supposed to be watching her."

Ruff elbowed him, so hard that he landed on the floor, "_You _were supposed to get up and take his place, Troll breath."

Tuff rolled his eyes, "Well how was I supposed to know?"

Ruff glared, "Because I told you to go right before I went to bed last night."

Her twin smiled in realization, "Oh yeah! You're not the best rooster you know."

Ruff kicked him where it hurt the most, (**AN: Sorry Tuff)**

Astrid looked over at Toothless, "Hey he's sticking to her like tree sap again. Guess he really does like her."

As if to prove her point, the black dragon nuzzled against the white scales. Snotlout chuckled, "Hey I wonder what you get if a Night fury falls in love with a White frost."

"Uh, a…night frost?" Ruff offered, "No wait a White fury."

***8***

Strider knelt in her cell, meditating, her hound form reverted to a girl with dog ears and a shaggy brown tail, much to the surprise of her guards. There would be new rumors if he had anything to say about it.

Her mind was closed to everything around her and turned towards the clamoring thoughts inside. Vikings kill dragons, yet now they rode them. Vikings hunt dragons, but the ones here befriended them. Vikings are sailors and stubborn slayers, now they rode dragons and spared her.

She almost growled aloud at this, it made no sense no matter what she thought of. How could these Vikings, humans that even her masters had feared for generations, suddenly be at peace with dragons at all? Was it all true or some elaborate plot? And how did they get Mimibrunser to trust them so quickly? To her memory the young silver had been the most afraid of Vikings, going so far as to throw a fit when the very word was mentioned.

"What changed?"

The sound of the door opening caught her attention, she didn't open her eyes, her nose twitched with the scent of musk and…a sea dragon? She took a long breath to be sure, yup, a Sea shouter. Whoever he was he had ridden recently.

***8***

Stoick stared into the cell at the creature before him, still unable to believe it. a wolf, one that could walk and talk like a human, attacked several of his men with such quick precision yet hadn't killed a single one. He watched her kneeling there with eyes closed, her front paws resting on her knees, still and calm. According to the guard she hadn't so much as made a sound since they had put her in there last night.

He thought back to all that had been going on, first all the recent storm threaten their supplies, then Alvin is on the hunt while possibly planning another attack on the island and now this creature shows up.

Finally he sighs, "you showed up at a bad time for us."

The wolf didn't move, not so much as a twitch. Stoick continued, "What with storms and outcasts, who would've thought a monster like you would show up, to to mention you attack my Vikings and try to kill my son. For that alone I should have your hide on my wall and your head mounted, you devil."

He nearly shouted the last part, hoping for a reaction, mostly angry that this thing would dare harm a hair on his son. The wolf didn't so much as twitch, she sat there calm as ever.

"And if that weren't enough," He continued loudly, "the island is on alert for Alvin's ships or worse, Outcasts with Dragons on the attack. I'd hate to think what we'd have to do if it came around to that…"

"You ride a Sea shouter don't you?" the wolf asked, not a trace of anger in her voice, her eyes were still closed. Stoick found himself a little surprised at how young she sounded; he had been expecting a voice that could chill him to the bone. But this wolf's voice sounded no scarier than Astrid when she talked with Hiccup.

He shook his head, pushing all thought to the back of his mind, "A what?"

The wolf opened her eyes halfway, showing that brilliant golden color, they gleamed in the gloom of her cell like candle flames, "That's what we call them back home, you Vikings call them Thundrum I think. You've been riding recently."

Stoick took a step back a little surprised, he took a whiff of himself calming down when he smelled fish, "So you have a great sense of smell, you are a wolf after all."

The wolf's eyes narrowed, her voice hardening, "And under that Ocean scent is a smell of blood, like all Vikings you are a killer after all. Dragons included I'd wager."

Stoick frowned, "You'd lose that bet, you spawn of Fenrir."

The wolf turned herself to face the wall behind her, swishing her tail around her foot paws so they were completely covered. Stoick leaned close to the cell door, grasping the bars, "Why are you on this island? What purpose do you have here?"

"Dose it really matter now?" The wolf scoffed, "You're the one with all the cards, you have me in a cell, a whole village of Vikings at your command and the silver Dragoness at your control. What more do you need to keep me here?"

Stoick frowned deeper, "Feather-storm?"

"Ironic, that a tribe of such dangerous humans could come up with such a beautiful name for her. Even more so is where her real name comes from."

Stoick tried piecing this together, "Are you saying your Feather-storm's rider?"

The wolf gave a low growl, "She belongs to no one and never will."

"then who are you? to her?" Stoick remembered what Hiccup had told him of last night, how this wolf tried to get Feather-storm to fly off with her, and until she attacked Hiccup the silver seemed torn.

The wolf sighed, "I'm her guard, I protect her, I came all this way to find her and her brother, but most of all were friends."

Stoick hadn't been expecting an answer like that, he thought back to how hiccup had first begged him to spare Toothless, before the attack on the dragon's nest, the fall of the red death and their new peace with the dragons.

"My son feels the same way about his dragon, a night fury."

The wolf turned to look at him, "The Night flier? Your son rides him?"

Stoick nodded, "If you had killed hiccup last night, I don't think my wrath would be the only one you'd have to worry about. I know that dragon feels the same way about him."

The wolf stood up her voice had a new hardness to it, "How is that possible? first my lady attacks me to protect what her kind has been taught for three hundred years to fear, then it turns out you on this island don't hunt dragons, and now I find a Night flier lives here with trust in a Viking child? How is this possible? what kind of trick are you trying to pull?"

Stoick came closer to her, now they were getting somewhere, "So it looks like you have something you want to know, and I have something I want to know. We can both answer each other's questions and get right to the bottom of things."

The wolf's eyes narrowed, her claws flexed a moment as if considering her options. Finally she sat on the floor of her cell, hound like this time and sighed, "I won't tell you everything. I expect you'll be doing the same?"

Stoick pulled up a barrel and sat himself right down, "Oh I think we can still tell each other plenty. First off, I am Stoick the Vast, chieftain of the island of Berk and her tribe."

The wolf held herself up straighter, "I am called Strider the Shadow Hound, Vassal for the guise dragon clans."

She bowed her head to him slowly. The burly chieftain nodded back to her; vessel for a clan of dragons eh? And to top it off that name, Strider, where had he heard it before?

**AN: not my best chapter I'll admit, but I'm s glad I finally got it published. please review, and enjoy (bow)**


	10. Chapter 10- wolf behind bars

Hiccup stood just outside the door, he could hear his father and Gobber talking inside about the new prisoner, Strider she said her name was. that alone caused him to freeze.

"I don't get it. if she was after the silver in the first place, why not just drag her out like we would've three years ago?" Gobber was saying.

Stoick sounded tired, "she said something about being a vessel to dragons, guise dragons, what are those anyway? She never told me, and just kept asking me about the dragons we have on the island. Over and over and over… argh, it's like she doesn't get the simplest things, were at peace with the dragons, How hard is that to understand."

Stoick sighed, sitting down, wood creaking slightly in protest at the sudden weight, "And then she says how Ryu Haven would never believe that an island of Vikings were treating dragons like friends."

"I heard her talking about this Haven place, you think she's from a place where humans and dragons live in peace? Long before we did?" Gobber slurped noisily at his mug. Stoick sighed.

"I think she might be crazy, strong I'll grant you. but Thor almighty, you can't have a person running around. She's a monster so for that You'd be out of yours to trust her."

Hiccup nodded silently to himself, his father had a good point, but so far he hadn't heard anything useful; if she was from a place where dragons and humans lived in peace, then what did she really want with Feather-storm?

"So what are you going to do with her, keep her locked up till she rots?" Gobber was saying.

Stoick sighed, "That won't smell so good after a while will it? no what I'm going to do is keep her there until we can find out more from her. And I have a feeling that's going to take a while the way she keeps talking. You'd have to be some kind of genius to get anything out of her."

Gobber gave a low laugh, "Don't let Hiccup hear you say that. Imagine if he tried to talk to her. Alone."

Stoick nodded, "I know, dragons he can handle, we know that much. But how could anyone handle a wolf as tall as a man and as fast as a night furry?"

Hiccup quietly left.

Gobber glanced towards the door, "Where is that boy anyway? He should be back by now."

Stoick shook his head, "He's spending the night with Toothless. That dragon hasn't left Feather-storm's side for a while now."

Gobber gave a knowing laugh, "This keeps up, we'll be hearing some tiny claws running around. And I don't mean Terrible Terrors."

***8***

Strider was curled up asleep in the cell, having gone full wolf to keep out the cold. She woke up from her own sneeze, groaning in despair, "Werewolves have fur to keep them warm, and yet I'm still cold. Blast why did I think coming out here in summer was a good idea?"

"Are you cold in there?" a small voice asked.

Strider turned to see the Viking boy she had tried to kill before. he stood there right up against the bars, smiling.

The werewolf huffed, shivering, "Isn't it past you bedtime little slayer?"

The boy gave a nervous cough, "Look we got off on the wrong foot before, and that's saying something since I only have one."

He chuckled at his little joke. Strider turned to look, sure enough, one of his feet was nothing more than a stump sitting on metal and wood. A strangely shaped one at that, she would've expected to see a peg leg, or him leaning on a crutch. But this one seemed a bit more…springy.

Wonder how I didn't hear him coming on that. She thought to herself, "So what, half the time I have four feet and everyone gets on the wrong one around me."

Hiccup laughed aloud, surprising her, "See? wolf, four feet, I get it."

Strider laid her head on her paws facing him, "when the moon is up children should be in bed little slayer."

"Ok first off, I'm not a little kid. Any more than you are." the boy sounded like he was lecturing a class or something. The wolf soon pricked her ears, "Second of all I'm not a dragon killer, yes I've slayed one but I don't think of the red death as a dragon."

Strider flattened her ears again, "Red death, deadly Nadder, monstrous nightmare, terrible terror…you Vikings come up with the strangest names for things you know that? The only dragon we both have the same name for would have to be the Scauldron, a dragon with scalding hot water coming from a special cauldron like stomach."

The boy brightened, "Really? So that means you call dragons by different names?"

"can a jeweled hummer sit on your hand?" the wolf asked.

The boy shrugged, "what's a jeweled hummer?"

Strider smiled, "A dragon."

The boy nodded, tapping his chin, "Small enough to fit in your hand, Jeweled so it must have a jewel like color to it, and it hums. Is that the sound it makes or the way it flaps its wings or both?"

Strider frowned, she had used the same question on the chief before and he had just tried to go back to the subject he was fishing for. This boy had done no such thing, "Er, the wings. They move at the same pace as a Boulder eater."

The boy thought a bit, "You mean a Gronkle right? It's the only one I know of that flaps it wings quick enough to get a hum, a whispering death pretty much spins its teeth."

Strider' ears drooped in confusion, "That's… where it gets its name."

The boy's face brightened, "Oh, so a whispering death for you is a…Spinning mouth?"

Strider shook her head slowly, what was this boy trying to do, "Drill mouth."

"Drill huh? makes sense." The boy was thinking again.

Strider sneezed, reminded of how cold she was. she curled up again and shut her eyes, "Look kid its late, it's cold and I'm tired, so if you don't have anything better to do than just go away alright?"

"My name is Hiccup, and I almost forgot I have something for you." he reached to one side, picking up a thick folded cloth of some sort. He carefully stuck the cloth in through the bars of the door and sat on the floor, "Come on over if you want it."

Strider looked between him and the fabric, another sneeze became her downfall. The boy smiled, "If you don't want the blanket then that's your choice."

Strider wanted to scream at him for such arrogance, the idea of Vikings running in to see what the ruckus was didn't sit well with her any more than the idea of taking charity from a child of the same. But then, with how cold it was in her full hound form she wasn't sure she would ever get to sleep. Reluctantly she stood up and padded over to the fabric, wrapped herself in its folds and sighed. So warm, she now recognized the smell of sheep wool, a homespun fabric as this and her wolf form's summer coat would easily keep the chill off of her.

"Any better?"

The wolf glared at him, pulling the blanket closer around her, "Sure."

Hiccup smiled, to the wolf it was like he was laughing at her, "you seem to know a lot about dragons. Did you grow up with them?"

Strider huffed, "Can a guise change shape?"

Hiccup didn't seem to be thrown off by the question like Stoick was last night, "How do they do that anyway?"

The wolf flinched, stupid, how could you forget he saw it happen? "Trade secret."

"Are they really dragons or…?"

"They aren't humans, that's for sure."

Hiccup's next question annoyed her, "Where do they come from?"

She glared at him dangerously, "Watch your mouth kid."

He held up his hands, "sorry, it's just I've never even heard of a dragon like Feather-storm. We were thinking of calling her a White Frost but since you seem to know so much about her maybe you two came from the same place?"

The wolf touched her mouth, that was a subject she didn't want to cover, ever! She shrugged, "I'm not going anywhere am I?"

Hiccup sighed, "No not so long as this cell holds up, and I know it can I know forge work."

Strider sniffed, "And I know when people are fishing for answers. Your father already tried with me and all he got was a headache."

"I can't see how." Hiccup said simply, "We've been talking pretty normally this whole time."

"Think it over," Strider settled further in the blanket folds, "If one asks a question and then gets another as an answer with an answer they're not looking for then they go back to the question and ask it again. But if they don't realize the answer to the question is in the question and assume it's just another question, then the question is, what do the answers have in common?"

The wolf grinned to herself, smiling, being a Viking, there was no way a long statement like that wouldn't give him a headache. She watched him as he drew a blank stare, curling up for the night, "If you can't answer then maybe you should try again when your head stops spinning, Good n…"

"So you're a talking wolf who grew up with dragons and you don't like to talk about where you come from because you're worried Vikings like my father will come flooding in and take away all the dragons you grew up with.

"You also care greatly for Feather-storm as you came all this way to find her, and you're not going to leave without her or an explanation to why we don't hunt dragons on Berk. And I can't help but think right now you're not as locked up as you seem to be, are you?"

Strider's body went ridged, she turned to look at him, her mind going blank at such an unexpected statement from this boy. She half expected him to be smiling at her in a smug 'I got you figured out' fashion. Her blood nearly boiled when all she saw was concern on his freckled face. A minute staring at her and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm right aren't I? struck a nerve." He said simply, standing up and dusting himself off, "I think I've asked enough questions for tonight, but there's two things I want to know before I go."

The wolf bared her teeth growling, "How do you know I won't lie about them? I'm a monster after all. Just like you Vikings are to dragons."

Hiccup's face sadden a moment, only to be replaced a second later by a look of sincere determination*, "You haven't lied to me this whole time, so you won't now. the first thing I want to know is, if Feather-storm wasn't there, would you have followed through with that attack, would you really have killed me?"

The wolf's golden eyes widened, ears going flat, jaw tightening with fangs bared. Hiccup returned her gaze coolly until her eyes fell to the floor, her voice so low he almost didn't hear it, "There's a reason nobody forgets their first kill kid. Be it bird, beast…or human."

She slumped to the floor pulling the blanket around her shoulders again, "If Mimibrunser wasn't there to save you. you'd be waking up in your father's house with a bruise on the back of your neck."

She didn't need to see it to know the boy had relaxed, she heard him release the breath he had been holding. In the warmth of the blanket and her own fur she suddenly felt very tired, more than before.

"there's still one more thing I want to know." The boy said firmly. The wolf groaned in response but didn't stop him, "Do you…have a name?"

The wolf looked at him a moment, closing her eyes with a smile, "Humans call me strider, dragons…"

She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take over, "…Call me Koro."

**AN:*for here think of the scene where Astrid asked him if he would risk everything to protect his 'pet dragon' at the cove.**

**Please review, and sorry it took so long. (bow)**


	11. Chapter 11

Gon was weaving herbs together into bundles of cloth. Savage watched on, glancing curiously at the baskets of herbs and old scraps of old sheepskin and wool, cloths of all kinds.

Gon turned to glare at the man angrily, "Will you stop hovering like a jeweled hummer and make yourself useful? Bring me more of the ash wood."

Savage still couldn't believe the change in the man's attitude, from a shivering little foreigner to a man with icy stares and demands under Alvin's command after just one look at the golden dragon. He wondered if that dragon may have more powers than they had first thought.

He handed the man a basket full of charred ash wood leaves and another basket of cloth scraps. Gon nodded, "Good, now leave me to my work. You smell awful."

Savage growled, fingering his axe, "I was told to stay here, Dress man."

Gon huffed, not liking that nickname one bit, he pointed to a spare stool and grunted, "Then sit down and help me wrap this mixture up. That might help with you putrid stench anyways."

Savage gave a growl that could make a grown man shiver, his battle axe taken from his hip so swiftly it seemed to jump into his hand of its own accord, "What did you say to me, DRESSMAN?"

Gon huffed turning back to his work, "Put that thing away Viking scum, Alvin wants my help and your orders are to help me."

Savage's grip tightened; reluctantly he thrust his weapon back into its place at his side and sat down heavily. He muttered under his breath to every god he knew of, Gon ignored him with a frown and continued to work. Finally holding up what looked like a woven scarf stuffed with herbs, he inspected it closely.

"Almost ready." He said softly, "In the meantime, what sort of plans have you put forth to destroy this Burp island or whatever it's called?"

"That is not your concern now is it?" Savgae muttered darkly, "And it's called Berk."

Gon took a deep breath through his nose, shaking his head, "Brimstone and lake fires, this smell is getting to already. Never thought I'd be happy with such a dull sense of smell."

Savage's ears pricked at this, he dismissed it instantly as a foreigner's ramblings or other. He instead thought back to the last attempt to bring down Berk, the Whispering death eggs were supposed to hatch and tear the village apart. Imagine his surprise when he heard they had all been driven out. Alvin however became furious and wanting an explanation, which no one had. Savage thanked his lucky stars when they had sound those two unique dragons not long after or Alvin would've taken out his anger on his own men. Any time he did that the Outcasts would be kept busy tending the injured.

Gon looked up shoving the unfinished collar into the warrior's hands, "There, it's done. Now all we need is to get it onto that young Guise dragon and he will belong to Alvin completely."

Savage held the thing in his hands, frowning, "How?"

Gon smiled, "Let's just say this makes things…easier for everyone."

****8***

Feather-storm was up in the air flying with Hiccup and Toothless, showing apt skill in keeping pace with them wherever they went.

Hiccup was a bit impressed that she was following them so willingly, but he kept getting a nagging feeling that something was troubling her, ever since Strider had shown up and attacked him, the silver dragoness had seemed…depressed.

In turn this seemed to be affecting Toothless's mood too. He kept looking back at her in midflight whining. Hiccup patted his friend's large neck, "I know bud, and I'm getting worried about her too."

He chanced a look back at the silver, only one day and already her eyes had gone dull as uncut gems, her feathers showed her lack of care as they were all ruffled. Hiccup sighed; she looked so different from the massive silver creature that had saved him from Strider's attack. He had known the dragoness would probably be unwilling to repeat that little trick of hers again; then again he was also sure that Strider had been lying about him waking up from that night at all if Feather-storm hadn't done something. Maybe that's what had her down at the moment; the werewolf and silver dragoness seemed to know each other, a bond not unlike his own with his Night Fury. But she had betrayed that trust to stop Strider from bringing him harm, how she must be feeling he could only imagine.

When Stoick first found out about Toothless, before their peace with the dragons, the chieftain had taken the black dragon away. Hiccup had begged for his dragon's life back then, which had caused both father and son to leave feeling betrayed.

The boy wondered if maybe he should tell this story to the silver, if anything it might help her to know he had an idea of how she must be feeling.

"Feather-storm?" he called back over the wind, adjusting his dragon's false tail so as to fly next to the silver dragoness. He pointed over to the sea cliffs, "We're going to land there so we can see how your wing's holding up ok?"

The silver glanced at him, she twitched her ears and adjusted course for where the boy had indicated.

They landed, Toothless more gracefully than Feather-storm for a change. The silver held one wing open longer than the other, settling down on the sun lit rocks with a sigh. Hiccup dismounted and pulled out a loaf of bread from his pack for her to chew on. She didn't touch it.

Hiccup gently pulled her wing open, always amazed at how different they felt from any feathered wings he had ever touched, and proceeded to inspect the shoulder joint. The scar there had begun to turn white like her scales; soon it wouldn't be so visible at all. He touched it gently, feeling her cringe under his fingers, "It still bothers you doesn't it?"

Feather-storm snorted.

"Just like how your friend being in a cell bothers you." At this the silver's ears pricked. Hiccup walked to her head, looking her in the eyes, "I have an idea of how you feel. I don't think she blames you for it. If anything she thinks you've been fed a bunch of tricks."

Feather-storm turned her head, refolding her wing and curling up like a giant cat. Toothless whined, rubbing his nose against her neck. Hiccup sighed, "I want to tell you how Toothless and I met. And afterwards if you want I can do the same for Koro Strider."

At the mention of the werewolf's name, Feather storm's sapphire eyes stared into hiccup's brown ones, her ears pricked as hiccup started telling her of a misfit with no hope of fitting in and a lucky shot with a bola shooter.

***8***

Strider chewed on the iron bar of her cell, she knew there was no luck in getting out that way, she was just bored. Very board, going crazy board, with a growing case of cabin fever to top it off. She had tried passing the time by going through some exercises taught to her by her combat teachers over the years, followed by a few more she had used for her hound form's use, then she tried meditating; first in every position possible on the floor and then hanging upside-down from the heavy beams by her feet. That got her through lunch time as her one question about these Vikings kept throwing her off.

She then tried using dirt from the floor to paint pictures on the wall, but they didn't show up very well; she tried striking up a conversation with a Little Terror that came to steal her food, but as soon as he got some he ran off in a hurry. She reluctantly tried talking to a Viking with a bucket on his head after the guard shift, but he was like a rock, sturdy, unmoving, and had no brain to speak of as far as she was concerned.

She tapped the bars with her teeth, watching the sky outside turn pink and red, marking the end of her second day as a prisoner.

"No wonder people get desperate to break out of places like this." She muttered.

A familiar sent hit her nose, followed by a burly voice to match the bulk that came in; rolling her eyes she curled up under her blanket in the far corner and did her best to look like she was asleep. Her ears rang as the chieftain banged on her cell door loudly.

"Alright now monster, this isn't going to be like last time. This time, you've got two of us to deal with and we're getting answers to our questions."

Strider gave her best fake yawn, noticing a blonde Viking with a braided mustache, peg leg and whose clothes looked a bit small on him holding up a broom in place of a missing hand.

He spoke with a heavy accent, "and I brought my dragon brush in case you need to clean up your act."

Stoick glared at him, his companion shrugged turning back to her, "What? He wouldn't let me bring any of my good interrogating tools. The pliers, the spike bludgeon, the kettle hook, that does more damage than you think that does."

Strider rolled her eyes, "What, no whips and chains?"

The blonde Viking held out his hands while looking at his chief, "See? Even she knows what you need for this kind of thing."

Stoick shook his head, "I told you Gobber, we're just going to talk to her. With two of us she'll have a harder time getting us off track like she did with me last night."

Strider jerked up to a sitting position, talking fast, "Fattysaywhat?"

Both Vikings answered at the same time, "What?"

The werewolf smiled; finally, something to pass the time.

***8***

Feather-storm was watching Hiccup's dragon class, fascinated on how they had turned such an important exercise into a sort of game.

Hiccup had told her about this Alvin character, she shivered when he had described him and realized he was the one who had caused her injury. She shuddered to think that Alvin had found a way to use dragons before, Drill mouth hatchlings no less. Accompanied by a dragon hatchling they had named the Screaming death. The silver hoped to never encounter that one if she could help it.

She found the idea that such a human could do such a thing foul, and the possibility that the same human could one day get a dragon to let him ride on their back…she bared her fangs every time she thought of the gold who had been captured on the island. As a Viking, she expected that he had killed the golden dragon, but if he was planning to find a way to use them…

She shook her head and went back to watching the other dragons playing flight tag, looking a lot like a simple game for hatchlings. Currently the Fire wing, Hookfang and his rider Snotlout, were playing the part of enemy dragon, so far he had only 'caught' the boulder eater and her rider, and just now had done the same for the Twin head and rider. Right now he was trying to catch up with Hiccup and Toothless…then Storm fly the Spike tail with Astrid…now he was swooping around trying to get in front of Toothless again.

She shook her head, out of all of them, that pair needed the most work on their midflight attacks, and decide to pick just one target at a time. The rider also needed to listen to his dragon a bit more, at least in the idea of how to get closer, all that throwing of his rider he did could be put to good use if they just aimed the boy at the other dragons. Besides there was no chance a Fire wing could ever catch up to a Night Flier. Let alone one like Toothless at this point, his rider was too well versed in bringing up their speed to match that of any she had seen before.

Her ears twitched as she heard the boy call out to his class, "Come on Snotlout, you're not even trying, if you were a real outcast we'd captured you already."

Feather-storm chuckled at the thought, so far as she had seen they hadn't been doing any 'capture the intruder' practice just yet. And in Hookfang's current position it would be all too easy to do.

Snotlout shouted back over the wind, "We know what we're doing Hiccup. Just let us fly."

He went after Astrid again; the Spike tail had some good speed to her. The rider commanded up, Hookfang went down, speeding off at an amazing swoop. Excellent maneuver, obviously the Flame Wing's idea, they we're in front of Storm fly and on the attack. But the blue and yellow dragon simply folded her wings and dived out of the way easily.

The silver shook her head again, opening her wings experimentally. No pain, but after the race back then could she be sure?

Hook fang was keeping on the girl, not separating to go after Hiccup for once. They got close several times, but for each the Spike tail slipped away. Until at some point the Spike Tail raised her spikes and flicked her tail after the last dive, Hookfang veered, but his rider ended up dislodged with a spike in his helmet. Of course the thing didn't pierce through in the least, but a fall from that height would be enough to scare anyone.

Snotlout screamed his dragon's name like a small child, the Flame wing dived after him catching the boy in his mouth and tossing him onto his back. Feather-storm called up to the red dragon.

The others heard as they all landed back into the arena.

Hiccup dismounted looking between his dragon and the silver, Astrid patted her dragon right behind the head spikes, "Hey girl, what's wrong?"

"Feather-storm called them." Fishlegs noted, coming right up to the feathery wings and stroking them once, "Maybe she's in distress. Are you hurting anywhere? You lonely?"

Meatlug hobbled closer, Feather-storm shoved the chubby boy towards her and turned to Hiccup and Toothless. The black dragon nuzzled against her, purring in question. She chirped back that she was fine.

Hiccup took a guess at what was bothering her, "Ok guys why don't we take a break. Fishlegs could you help me check on Feather-storm's wing?"

The dragoness glared at the rounded boy, holding out her wing anyway. Snotlout chuckled patting his own dragon's nose, "She called our dragon's down because her wing hurts? Come on, we all know she can fly with it now. She should be up there like the best of us. Like me and Hookfang, warriors in the sky."

Hookfang purred, holding his head up a bit more proudly. Everyone else just rolled their eyes. Hiccup pretended he hadn't heard, he continued to check the silver's shoulder and wing with Fishlegs, going over every joint and muscle he touched.

"Looks alright to me. If you want to go flying with us…"

Feather-storm shook her head, flexing her claws and crouching like a giant cat ready to pounce. Toothless whined, apparently not liking what she was suggesting.

"I think she wants to join in our flight training." Ruff said.

Her brother broke out into a grin, "Awesome, maybe we can see her blow something up."

Ruffs soon grinned at the idea, "Or try to catch us on our dragons."

Tuff glanced over to his sister, "Yeah. Wait, what do you mean try?"

Hiccup hesitated, with all the silver had been through with Strider showing up, and her wing having just healed over again he wondered if that was such a good idea. He voiced this out but the dragoness shook her head, opening her wings wide and ready to fly.

Astrid hoped back onto her dragon, "If she's up for it shy stop her. You ready to take her on Storm fly?"

The spike tail shook her spikes, opening her wings. Hookfang tossed his rider onto his back again and took off, to the loud protests of Snotlout. The twins were already in the air, Tuff shouting, "Come and get us Snow White."

Ruff frowned, "Somehow that doesn't sound like an insult."

"Why? Someone using it?"

Hiccup glanced at Toothless, the black dragon sighed and gestured to his saddle, _let's go_.

The boy sighed, turning to the dragoness, his voice lowered, "If you feel you wound reopening give us a call. You can change forms and we'll carry you to the ground. Got it?"

The silver's eyes widened at such a suggestion, Hiccup explained, "I've known about it since Strider came."

The dragoness seemed to consider this, a small flute like whine escaping her throat. Reluctantly she nodded, slowly.

Hiccup mounted up, clicking his artificial foot into the stirrup, "And don't worry, we can make sure the others don't see."


End file.
